The Other Side
by maikrominiskirt
Summary: People think that it was Nick who ended things, but what if it was the other way around? Niley/Moe, just because we are in desperate need of some.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey there! This is like, only my second time writing fan fiction, so I do hope that you'll forgive me for the many mistakes that I am sure I will make. This was just something that popped into my head while I was watching some videos on YouTube and saw all the hater comments on Miley Cyrus. Not that I'm her biggest fan or anything, I just thought that maybe it would be nice if another side of the story were presented, haha. Also, I might screw with the timelines a bit, but know that it's all in the interest of the story. So, before I bore you too much, I should get started. I'd really appreciate your comments/suggestions after reading. Thanks!

**DISCLAIMER: **This work is entirely FICTION. I am in no way affiliated with Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers. I'm not getting anything from writing this, except maybe a peaceful night's sleep, as this idea has been bugging me for quite some time now.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER 1

Fifteen-year old Miley Cyrus sat on the edge of her bed holding her guitar during an unusual break in her hectic schedule. She took advantage of her unexpected vacation and decided to spend some time with her family in their California home. To say that things have been going pretty crazy in her life lately would be a gross understatement. She could hardly even remember when she last had an opportunity just like this, to sit and try to come up with more things for her next album.

'_It's partly my fault, though,_' she thought to herself, as she thought back to the things that had kept her distracted for the better part of the past three months.

_FLASHBACK_

_: Best of Both Worlds Tour, Bus :_

_Miley could be seen trying to get comfortable in the small cramped bunk that has been her bedroom for the past two weeks, since the beginning of her nationwide concert tour. She had never imagined that a simple audition for a role in a Disney show could lead up to this, and sometimes she still had a difficult time wrapping her head around the fact that this really was happening to her. She was no longer just Miley Cyrus, and not even just Miley Cyrus acting as Hannah Montana- it was also about her, Destiny Hope._

_Finally deciding that moving around wasn't helping her get any sleep, she wondered if maybe a small midnight snack would do the trick. It was something that she always did back in California when she couldn't sleep, mainly because she still wasn't used to the noisy nightlife of good old Hollywood. _

_She quietly stepped off of her top bunk, still trying to get used to moving around in the small hallway. She noted that most of the lights had been turned off, and the curtains had been drawn on all the other bunks. She carefully made her way to the front part of the bus where the kitchen is located, and was surprised to see somebody already there._

"_Nick?" She quietly called to the person whose back was turned to her. Nonetheless, she knew that nobody else had curls quite like that boy._

"_Wha-!" He made a startled motion and turned around, almost dropping the pot. _

"_Shh… It's only me. Looks like we had the same idea," said the newcomer, going into the small refrigerator to bring out a carton of milk._

"_Geez, Miles. You scared me."_

"_We're on a moving bus. Who else would it be, but me, Kevin or Joe?" She laughingly said, as she took the small pan from his hands and proceeded to heat some milk over the electrical stove. _

"_I dunno," Nick said with a straight face, reaching for two mugs from the cabinets above the stove. "Joe can be pretty scary when his hair's not done all pretty. Or when somebody disturbs his beauty rest and he's not fully awake"_

_Miley laughs at this and replies "That's true. Then again, Joe can also be scary when he's really awake." Seeing steam rising from the top her pot, she turns the fire off and makes to grab the mugs that Nick had laid out on the counter and fills them._

_Nick graciously accepts the mug that Miley offers him, and motions for her to join him on the small makeshift table. "I'll give you that. All in all, though, I'm glad it was you, Miles."_

"_I'm glad it was you too, Nicky." Both teens sat in companionable silence as they drank, slowly letting sleep wash over them. After a while, knowing that the table was probably not the best place to rest, especially since they both had a big day ahead of them, the youngest Jonas Brother carefully stood up and gently pulled Miley with him. Prying her loose grip on her now empty mug, he placed it along with his on the tabletop. _

"_C'mon. Let's get some sleep. We still have an early day tomorrow." Miley murmured something close to an assent and let him guide her to the sleeping area. He made sure that she was able to climb into her bunk safely before clambering up to his own across from hers, but not without a soft goodnight to one another. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Miley could feel hot tears gathering around her eyes as she remembered the start of their tour. She tried to rapidly blink the tears away, having long since promised herself to stop crying over it. Nothing was going to change what happened now, not even her tears. She allowed herself a bitter laugh, wondering if the story behind Taylor Swift's hit song was anywhere near as screwed up as the reasons that there were teardrops on her guitar now.

_FLASHBACK_

_: Best of Both Worlds Tour, Bus :_

_In a situation eerily similar to the one they had a couple of moths prior, Nick and Miley were once again sitting across from one another at the small table on the bus while everybody else was getting some much-deserved sleep. Unlike that time however, the tension between them was palpable. _

"_Miley," Nick began. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean for that to happen, honest. You see, Joe was calling and I…"_

"_Enough, Nick." The blue-eyed brunette said, cutting him off. "I don't want to hear another excuse, much less one that involves your brothers." She wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to outwardly hold it together._

"_I'm sorry. How many times do I have to say it more before you believe me? You know how it is."_

"_Yes, I do know how it is, but apparently it's you that I no longer know. The Nick I knew would have been there for me."_

"_Don't be so dramatic, Miles. It's more than just you and me we have to think about. There's Joe and Kevin and your family and everybody else on the tour. Please try to understand." He trailed off, wishing for her to stop pressing the issue so that they could end this conversation. It felt like they had had this conversation so many times before, and in the short span of the months they had been together, they had indeed argued about it constantly. _

"_You know what, I do understand. Just please also understand me when I say that this, what we have between us, may not be the best idea right now. For both of us."_

"_Are you saying we should break-up?"_

"_Yeah, I am. I think we both need to take some time to think if we really want this." She said to him with a significant look. She knew she had to end their conversation before she lost it in front of him. "I still really care about you, Nick, and I hope that we can still be friends."_

"_Yeah, okay." He said, mostly to himself, as Miley had already begun walking to her bunk. _

_After three more shows, the tour was over, but despite their midnight conversation, whatever was between Miley and Nick was not. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Miley was jolted back into awareness by a series of short knocks at her door. She hurriedly wiped away any lingering tears before she called out to whoever it was to come in.

Seeing Billy Ray Cyrus always made Miley smile. Her dad always reminded her of a huge teddy bear, that although he did corny things that made her roll her eyes in embarrassment, she loved being comforted by his presence.

"Hey, Bud. How you holding up? The change of pace is nice, eh?" He started, carefully not mentioning his daughter's slightly moist eyes and flushed appearance.

She laughed a little at that before replying "Yeah, it is. It's nice to actually not be moving for once. I never thought I'd say it, but I missed the noise of Braison and Noah."

"You know you love it." There was a moment of awkward silence before he chose to continue. "Anyways, back to the reason I wanted to talk to you." It was only then that Miley noticed that he was holding a magazine. She felt a familiar pit in her stomach, knowing what was to come, having experienced it countless times already.

"What are they saying about me this time? I didn't see anything when I checked the internet this morning."

"Are you still reading those things online? Don't do that to yourself, Miley. That can't be healthy. I mean, you don't need to go listening to those people. What matters is what you know to be true."

"I know that, Daddy. I just wanted to, you know, know; but that wasn't what you came to talk to me about, was it?" Miley set the guitar gently down onto her bed, mentally steeling herself for her latest paparazzi drama.

"It's really nothing new. It's just more people making talk about you and Nick Jonas, but, as you said, that's not what I wanted to discuss with you. I think we should do something. Let them know that all of it's not true. If they really knew what happened, then they would stop with all this-attacking. Look what it's doing to you." He said, finally gesturing at her dishevelled looks.

"Dad, we've talked about this. They can't know what went on between me and Nick. Nobody wants to know how he's less than perfect, and I don't want them to know him like that."

"I get that, but what I just don't comprehend is why. Why would you want to protect him, after everything he's done, or hasn't done, for that matter?"

"Because after everything that's happened, it really wasn't his fault- it was mine, so I guess the press somewhat have it right. Besides, it wouldn't hurt just him, but Joe and Kevin as well, and I can't do that to them. It's better that they just blame me for the entire thing. After all, we both know I'm stronger than them Jonas boys." She added at the end, trying to make her dad laugh at the entire situation that was somewhat less than amusing.

Billy Ray shook his head, marvelling at the wisdom of his young daughter's words, but at the same time, wanting her to take them all back just so he could take care of everything else, of her. Although he didn't necessarily approve of everything she had done up until that point, he sure was proud of her for learning to deal with everything with as much grace as one can expect from a teenage celebrity.

"Indeed you are, Bud," he told her, wrapping one warm around her shoulders and pulling her to him, as if in a one-armed hug. "If it's what you really want, we'll leave it alone for now, but if it gets any worse, we're going to have to something about it, okay?"

"I can handle it, Dad." Billy Ray just looked at his Miley, letting her know with his eyes that _he_ wasn't going to allow them to hurt his baby girl, despite her claims that she could take it. Finally, she gave in after a while. "Fine, if it gets any worse, I will come to you for help."

"You better, 'cause I gotta be honest with you, Smiley. I don't think I can see you like this anymore." He squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm okay, Daddy, I promise."

"So I've been hearing all day. My eyes tell me otherwise. For now, I'll leave you alone, but we're going to talk about it soon, you and me. Now, enough of this serious talk, and let's go get some ice cream before your siblings finish it."

Smiling, Miley put her arm around her father's waist and they both made their way down the stairs.

END CHAPTER ONE

**A/N:** Okay. That was chapter one. It was a bit short, I think, but it felt like a good place to leave it. It's still the introduction to the story, after all. We can already see some drama, and I know it's not making much sense right now, but it will soon, I promise. Also, I apologize if Nick may seem a little out of character for you, but then again, this only my interpretation of him, as many say that he really isn't as shy or quiet as he appears to be. Please, don't give up on reading it just yet, haha. As I mentioned before, I'd appreciate your comments or suggestions, but please try not to break my heart with flames. I'll also try to update within a week of this being published, so fingers-crossed that I will be able to and that you will want me to.

**P.S.** I also want to say that I know that they were on separate buses during the tour, but I needed the plot device, so thanks for understanding.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello again! I know that the last chapter of this story was extremely bipolar, but I wanted to establish right away the time frame of the story. Well, that, and what better way to keep people reading than to pique their interest right away, right? Anyways, I don't think this story will be very long, as the plot that I have in mind is very simple, but that may be subject to change if an idea suddenly strikes me. However, I am still having trouble with the next couple of chapters, so updates may take longer still. Again, I'd like to say that I would be purposely messing up the timelines of real events all for the sake of the plot, and this is, really, an outlet of what I wish really happened, haha. I would appreciate comments and suggestions after you're done reading, because this is really out of my territory.

**DISCLAIMER:** This is nothing but the mindless babbling of person with frustration issues. Needless to say, this is entirely FICTIONAL. I am in no way affiliated with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, the Disney Channel or their show, Hannah Montana. Please, give it a shot.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER TWO

: Disney Studios, 'Hannah Montana' Set :

Nothing could be heard from the inside of the small bathroom but the splashing of the water against the marble of the sink and the heavy breathing of Miley Cyrus. Filming for the past eight hours, not to mention her sleepless nights, were taking a toll on her, and she was beginning to feel light-headed, but was unwilling to worry her friends, not to mention her dad, about something so trivial. Spotting the opportunity to escape while her co-stars were filming some of their scenes without her, she ran into the nearest bathroom, praying that it would be a while before somebody came to get her.

'_No such luck,'_ she thought, as she heard somebody knock softly against the door.

"Just a minute," she said while gripping either edge of the cool surface and looking at herself in the mirror. She took a couple more calming breaths before moving to step out of the confined space. She was taken aback when, upon opening the door, she saw the face of none other than Joe Jonas gazing earnestly at her.

"Hey, Miley. Are you okay? I mean, I saw you duck in here pretty fast. I don't think your director even got the chance to call 'Cut'," he said, with a smile masking the concern that could still be seen in his eyes.

"Enough about that, what are you doing here, Joe?" She was able to get out before wrapping her arms around him in a huge hug.

"What? You don't want me here?" He said, pretending to be hurt, but unable to keep the smile off of his face and from returning her hug. "Well, we're actually doing some filming right now, and I decided to do some exploring. Who would've thought that our studios would actually be right next to each other, huh?"

At the mention of 'We', Miley immediately looked over his shoulder, nervously searching for his two brothers that she was sure could not be far behind.

As if he could read her mind, Joe broke out of their hug and settled on placing his arms around Miley's shoulders, and said, "Relax. They're still doing a scene, and I'm pretty sure I heard Kevin challenge Nick to Guitar Hero right after, seeing as he thinks I'm not enough of a challenge for him."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Joe," she said with a laugh that was not as carefree as she had wanted it to be. "I think you can definitely kick his ass in Guitar Hero."

"Well, obviously. Just because I choose not to play any instruments, and instead devote myself to entertaining the masses with my voice, doesn't mean tha- whoa, Miley, seriously, are you okay?" Joe grabbed his companion's elbow as her knees buckled beneath her.

Attempting to stand up straight, Miley replied "Yeah, just lost my footing there for a second. It's these new shoes; they're kind of hard to walk in." She gave Joe a reassuring smile, hoping that he would accept that answer. _'Good thing Joe was here. I wouldn't want to make a scene of collapsing in front of everybody.' _The fatigue she was experiencing, combined with the panic she had felt earlier were catching up with her. She just really needed to sit down and fast, but didn't want to alert her guest any further.

Joe scrutinized her for a minute, deciding whether to believe her explanation or not. After a moment though, despite seeing through the fact that she's worn shoes more uncomfortable than those for her Hannah role and dance in them to boot, he gave a small nod, choosing to let it go for now.

"Hey, mind accompanying me to my dressing room? I have to go and change into something else." The brunette girl asked, seeing the perfect excuse, and if only to break up the awkward silence that had settled between them.

"Yeah, sure, why not? After all, I have nothing better to do than entertain you with my sparkling personality." Joe said with a wink.

"Suurrre, Joe. Whatever you say," Miley said as she led the way to her dressing room at the other side of the building. "Won't people come looking for you, though? I mean, you are supposed to be taping, if I remember correctly."

"Nah. They know I have my phone with me. If they really needed me, they could just call. It's not like I'm going to Antarctica or anything."

They shared a look before laughing and making their way into Miley's onset quarters.

: Disney Studios, Inside Miley's Dressing Room :

The two had generally been having a good time, with Miley changing into some more comfortable clothes in the bathroom while Joe was poking fun at all of Miley's Hannah stuff, as evidenced by the fact that the Jonas was now wearing her long blonde wig.

"Joe! Give that back! Come on! You have no idea how hard it is to comb the tangles out of that thing." She was weakly trying to reach above her head, where Joe was mercilessly dangling the aforementioned wig. She was reluctant to move around as much, fearing a repeat of what happened before.

"Fine, ruin my fun," he said, before finally taking pity on her and giving it back. You know I have a thing for long blonde hair." Joe said grumpily, taking a seat with his arms crossed ever his chest like a petulant child.

"Well, if you really want blonde extensions, I have the number of this great stylist you can go to, but personally, I like your hair like this." She said, reaching out to ruffle his immaculately styled brunette locks, but failing to do so before Joe moved out of her reach. She was too sluggish to keep up with his fast movements.

"Haha, Miley. Yeah, I can totally see the fans going for my new do."

"Well," the young girl said, suggestively wiggling her eyebrows. "If you like blondes, I thought I heard Emily say that she thinks you're the cutest Jonas she knows, with the exception of Frankie, of course."

"Okay," Joe said laughingly. "While I know you've been planning on getting me and Emily together even before we actually taped for your show, and although I know that a lot of people think it would be perfect, I actually would like to get to know her more first."

"That's all I was going to suggest, I swear," she replied, holding both of her hands up in a gesture of surrender.

"If you say so," Joe smirked at her.

"You know, Jonas, you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for."

"About time you noticed, Cyrus." The pair shared a laugh at this before falling into a comfortable silence.

All of a sudden, 'S. O. S.' could be heard coming from Joe's phone. He picked it up while Miley listened to his end of the conversation.

"I'm okay. I just went out to get some fresh air." There was a brief pause wherein the caller spoke to Joe. "Okay. You guys can go ahead. I can catch up with you later. I'm kind of busy with a friend." He narrowed his eyes for a moment before replying, "No, not that kind of friend. Whatever, you guys. Go on without me." He put down the phone soon after that and turned to face Miley once again, but was met with her anxious face.

"Are you sure I'm not keeping you from anything, Joe? I mean, we can hang out some other time. Like you said, our studios are right next to each other, you can come and visit us here whenever."

Joe laughed out loud at her worried expression before replying "It's okay, Miles. I mean, I see those guys everyday for crying out loud. Besides, I'm having fun here. Unless you don't want me to hang around here anymore."

Miley smiled at him. Despite her deep desire to sleep, seeing Joe made her really happy, and somehow she was able to forget all the drama that was happening to her lately.

Taking her dazed silence to mean a polite affirmative, Joe made to stand from the couch where he and Miley were currently sitting and was almost to the door before she snapped to her senses.

"No!" She stood up quickly, and almost immediately fell back onto the couch as her knees finally gave way beneath her as a protest to her sudden movements.

In a flash, Joe was at her side, helping her to sit up properly, hovering in front of her to make sure she was still conscious. "Miley? Are you okay? Wait here, I'm going to get some help."

With an unusually strong grip, she grasped Joe's hand and held him back before he could move from where he was standing in front of her. "Don't, Joe. Please. I'm okay. I just lost my balance for a bit there."

"No you didn't Miley, and unless you tell me what's going on, I have to get your dad, or somebody, to help."

Not wanting to get her father involved after their little talk, she admitted "It's really nothing, I promise. I'm just a little tired from shooting all day." Joe remained skeptical. Seeing that he wasn't going to accept just that, Miley continued "and I wasn't really able to get a lot to eat this morning before taping began." As Joe still did not appear to be budging, she quietly added, "and maybe I haven't been getting any sleep lately."

Joe was taking all of it in, his concern growing with every statement. Taking a good look at Miley without any make-up on, he was able to see that indeed there were bags around her eyes and they only made her eyes look more sunken and her entire face more haggard looking. "Are you sure that's it?" He said while handing her a bottle of water he had grabbed from her mini-fridge.

"I swear."

"And you're not making yourself sick?" He asked her bluntly. "'Cause I've been reading all these things about these girls that do these to themselves, and now I see you looking like this and going all woozy on me. I can't help but worry, you know?"

"I promise, I'm not. It's just everything's been crazy lately, and I have to keep practicing with the singing and the dancing, it's just been hard to remember to eat and breathe every once in a while." She said, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. He propped some pillows behind her and made sure she was comfortable against the couch before sitting down beside her.

"You have to take care of yourself, Miles. I hear that this kind of thing has been happening to you often. I mean, I read on the news that you're sick during shows but you keep pushing yourself to perform anyway, like during the CMT's and the KCA's. I don't want to find out that you've been doing stuff like that to yourself too."

"It wouldn't exactly be the worst thing that they could say about me." She said, quietly, but Joe had noticed that bitter look that had flashed across her face.

"Hey. We've talked about this before. You're so much better than that. If all this practicing and dieting you're doing is just to please everybody, you should see that you're killing yourself, 'cause I can be the one to tell you that it's not going to happen, but it's not because you're not talented, but because not everybody can see what we can: a bright and gifted young girl."

Not having any more words to say, Miley just threw her arms around Joe and let a couple of tears fall from her eyes.

"You should probably get some rest, Miles. I'll try to talk to your dad about you going home early on my way out. I'll be checking up on you, you hear? So you'd better take care of yourself."

"You're always taking care of me, Joey."

"Somebody has to." Joe stood up and quietly closed the door behind him after seeing Miley's eyes flutter close.

END CHAPTER TWO

A/N: I had originally intended to make this chapter longer, but I actually wanted to end with that nice little MOE moment. I seem to be going for equal parts fluff. I know it may seem like a filler chapter, but I really just wanted to show how the negativity has been affecting Miley. That and how Miley did have a relationship with the Jonas Brothers apart from just Nick, so expect a Miley/Kevin sister-brother scene in the future, although it may be a little far off.

Anyways, I'm still a bit unsure of how it'll all end, but I think I have a rough idea, so bear with me a little bit. I'm going to use the events I had originally intended for this chapter to start the next one, so hopefully it'll help me update faster. I can definitely say that there will be more Jonas Brothers coming, and maybe some Nick/Miley drama to further shed light on what really happened. As always, please review, because in all honesty, the reason I'm putting this up although technically it was still 'unfinished', was because I wanted to please you guys.

**mayniac, forevermiley11, miixao, xoxoAnnaxoxo, ttran59**: Thank you very much. You honor my babbling with your comments and I hope you keep reading because you all inspire me to keep writing.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Welcome back and thank you for wanting to read the third instalment, haha. I am literally writing this after posting the second chapter, so I'm still feeding of the review high. Hopefully it will be just as good. Anyways, some might comment on how they think Joe was acting out of character in the previous chapter, but I just want to say that I honestly think that there is more to him than just being the cute funny one, although he really is. I think I'm obsessed with stepping out of what's normally thought of, but I hope it's with good results. Anyways, thanks again for reading, and know that your reviews make me happy.

**DISCLAIMER:** This work is pure FICTION as I am not in any way connected with Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers regardless of how much I wish to be. I am not getting any profit, so please don't report me.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER THREE

: Disney Studios, J. O. N. A. S. Set :

The crew and the rest of the members of the cast were already wrapping up their day of taping by the time Joe Jonas got back to their set. Not seeing his brothers among the dozen or so people still milling around, he made his way to their shared dressing room, still unsure whether he should tell him where he had just spent the rest of his afternoon, much less what he had witnessed with Miley, the girl who had become so close to their entire family.

Sure enough, as soon as he had opened the door to the room, he was greeted by his brothers' loud laughter at something their youngest brother, Frankie, had said. Looking up and seeing Joe standing by the door, they composed themselves enough to greet him.

"Hey, Bro. Where've you been all this time? You just missed Frankie's incredible impersonation of Uncle Dave," Kevin said to his younger brother as Joe gave his mother, who was seated on the far couch, a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, Joe," piped Nick from the dresser chair. "Were you able to get any fresh air at all with your 'friend'?" Kevin and Nick shared a look before smirking and raising their eyebrows at their brother.

Deciding that now probably wasn't a good time to tell them that he was with Miley, as everybody was enjoying their rare time together, he settled for giving them a mischievous grin, saying "Maybe.'

The three older Jonas brothers laughed together at this while Frankie looked at them confused and their parents just smiled at the closeness that the three shared, somewhat thankful that all of them had decided to laugh at it instead of arguing about it. Then again, there really was no way of telling with the three brothers. They loved each other and would defend one another, but at the same time, one wrong comment could spark an all-out war amongst them.

Frankie couldn't take not being able to join in his older siblings' laughter and decided to launch himself onto the standing Joe, causing both of them to fall backwards into the couch that their mother was already occupying. This only caused them all to laugh harder, even as Denise Jonas pretended to look disgruntled at almost being crushed by the antics of her sons.

After a while though, Kevin Sr. looked at his watch and decided that it was time to break up the party. "All right, boys. We should get going. The three of you," pointing at Nick, Joe and Kevin, who had somehow all wound up sitting on the floor. "Still have a short interview to do."

"And while you boys do that, Frankie and I should also get some shopping done, if any of us want to eat dinner," the boys' mother spoke up, already beginning to gather up her purse and coat from the coffee table.

"Aww, Mom," Frankie began to say with a pout directed at his mother. "Can't I go with them?"

"I'm sorry, baby, but that just isn't a place for a little boy."

"I'm not that little anymore. I'm 8 years old!"

"Don't worry about it, little bro," Nick said laughingly, ruffling Frankie's already long hair. "You're not missing anything. If we had a choice, we wouldn't go either."

Slightly comforted by this, the youngest Jonas allowed his mother to hand him his jacket while the rest of the family got ready to leave too. The following minutes were spent grabbing jackets, packing instruments and searching for lost clothing items. The goodbyes were no less chaotic as the older boys, walking awkwardly with their bags and guitar cases, each kissed their mother goodbye and gave Frankie a hug while the Jonas parents also bade each other farewell. Finally, minutes more later, the boys along with their father were settled comfortably into their van, with their luggage secured at the back, and they made their way to a small restaurant downtown where their interview was going to be.

Taking advantage of the quiet car ride, Joe thought back on his earlier conversation with Miley, and how despite her reassurances, he still found himself worrying about her. He was especially troubled at how much all the controversy seemed to be affecting the younger girl, remembering her sober tone when she had mentioned the media. _'It's really not fair to her_,' Joe said to himself. '_She's already been through a lot this past couple of months._'

_FLASHBACK_

_Long before the tour had even started, Billy Ray Cyrus, along with Miley, and Kevin Jonas Sr., together with his three sons, decided it would be a good idea to get together and to plan their performances. Having already finalized the dates and locations, the adults wanted to involve the teenagers into the logistics discussion, hoping to get input on what they could do to fully entertain the concertgoers. Many suggestions were thrown out, from sensible ones like pyrotechnics and acrobatic stunts (from Kevin and Nick), to the slightly less feasible ones like falling on stage from a helicopter (mostly from Joe). _

_There was an easy camaraderie in the group, and they enjoyed bantering and throwing wacky ideas around. Anyone who had walked into that room would instantly notice the closeness that the teens shared, but most especially the one between the two youngest members of the party who were sitting right next to each other. Every time Nick agreed to one of Miley's ideas, she would give him a shy smile in appreciation, something that did not go unnoticed by Kevin and Joe. It did not take long before the elder Jonas boys were already teasing the two of them, occasionally pushing Nick closer to Miley, while the former flashed an apologetic grin at the latter, apologizing for his brothers' silliness. Miley could only blush. _

_Soon though, their playful conversation was cut by Billy Ray's authoritative tone. "Anyways, there was another thing I wanted to ask you boys about." Miley glanced at her father, unaware that there were any other issues that they needed to talk about. "You see," he continued, disregarding his daughter's inquisitive gaze. "Miley here is hypoglycemic. Not that she won't be able to perform when she has to, it's just that she may not be able to perform as much as she needs to.'_

"_It's really nothing to worry about," Miley said, attempting to cut off her father, but silenced with one look from him. She knew he was just really worried that something may happen to her on the tour. _

"_She might say that, but her doctors tell me differently. Anyways, I was wondering if we could add some time for her in between breaks. I mean, just enough for her to be able to take some thing to keep her from getting sick."_

_Miley was really embarrassed to bring this up. She knew that Nick had diabetes and wasn't asking for any special treatment, and she wanted to not to as well, but she couldn't deny that there were some incidents that scared even her. She subconsciously fingered the medical tags underneath her shirt, not knowing that Nick was looking at her, and when she caught him looking at her, he smiled sheepishly at her, touching his own medical tag in understanding. She beamed at his quiet reassurance but was brought out of her reverie when Joe suddenly started babbling about two Hannahs/Mileys. _

_The Jonas men were really understanding of her predicament, and were genuinely concerned after their co-star's wellbeing. After some careful thought and discussion, they had all agreed that there was merit to Joe's suggestion, and the teens jokingly congratulated him for coming up with something they could use. Miley was still a bit nervous about making somebody else act like her. _

"_But Daddy, wouldn't they be able to tell that it's not me?" she asked, genuinely fearful. It was unsettling to her that she would have to fool her fans._

"_Don't worry about it, Miles," Joe said, fondly using her nickname. "Your fans are mostly female, right?"_

"_Um, yeah, but what does that have to do with it?" _

"_Well, hello? I'll be on stage with you most of the time, and I bet they won't even notice that you're gone, much less that you're not exactly you.' Joe kidded, but everyone could see that he honestly wanted to help. _

_Kevin smiled at his brother's thoughtfulness amidst his arrogance. "Seriously though Miley, Joe is right. Whoa, never thought I'd say that." All of them laughed, even Joe who wanted to pretend to be hurt, but unable to do so. "The performance is not as important as you, and you need to remember that."_

"_Yeah, Miles," piped Nick. "It's not that big of a deal. If you need anything, I-er, we, will do anything we can do to help." The youngest boy blushed at his slip-up which only deepened when Miley gently touched his arm._

"_Thank you, Nick; and you too, Kevin and Joe. This really means a lot to me." She said with a smile at all the Jonas boys. _

_Joe and Kevin shared a knowing look unbeknownst to Nick and Miley. After that, the rest of the meeting went smoothly, and before any of them knew it, it was time for them to say goodbye, albeit reluctantly. _

_Miley shook the hand of Kevin Sr., saying "Thank you very much, Mr. Jonas. It was a pleasure meeting you." After he said goodbye, she turned to his sons, giving each of them a shy hug, blushing furiously when it came to Nick. She pulled away quickly and heard his mumbled goodbye even with Kevin and Joe saying dramatic farewells in the background. It was still minutes after that when they were finally able to part ways. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Joe smiled to himself at the memory. Even back then, the four of them were an extremely tight-knit bunch. So much so that during concerts, when it came to the part of the program where they had to implement the plan that they had carefully mapped out, it was like they could read each others' minds.

_FLASHBACK_

_It was already their first week into the tour, and despite having performed for a couple of key cities with big crowds already, Miley and the Jonas Brothers still felt that rush of every performance. Pumped by the cheers of the crowd, all of them couldn't care less of how tired they were, and kept dancing to the music like mad. _

_On one particular night, things were crazier than even their usual hyper performance. Miley was in the zone, and everybody could see that she was really giving everything she had into every number. Unfortunately though, it made her tired a lot faster, but she chose to ignore it when she heard the familiar strains of Kevin's guitar playing the opening chords to 'We Got the Party'. _

_To the people who were only watching her for the first time that night, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The fans were screaming so loud and bumping against each other to really pay attention to every little detail, and to them, they only saw Hannah Montana jump in time to the music, singing the lyrics while enticing the crowd to join her. To Nick, Joe and Kevin, however, she appeared to be really struggling. They could hear her pant against the microphone a lot more than if it were just her regular breathing and noted that she wasn't able to keep in time with the dancers' choreographed moves as much. _

_As Miley walked along the catwalk with Nick, Kevin and Joe looked at each other worriedly, mentally asking one another if they shared the same concerns. Giving a small nod at his brother, Kevin played his guitar louder, going into an unplanned riff just in time for the younger teenagers' walk back to the main stage. Joe energetically bounced to meet the two of them, catching Nick's eye before tilting his head in Kevin's direction. Nick got the message and joined his oldest brother in his impromptu guitar solo, making sure that the crowd was looking at them instead of at the middle of the stage._

_Meanwhile, Joe gently touched Miley's elbow and dance-guided her to the back portion of the platform where her studded microphone stand was. He gave her an encouraging look and briefly caught the look of understanding and gratitude that flashed across her face before joining his brothers to finish the song. Her exit was earlier than planned, so Kevin, Joe and Nick found themselves improvising a lot before they were able to go offstage to check on Miley, where she greeted each of them with a grateful hug. _

_END FLASHBACK_

"Joe!" Nick was shaking his older brother's shoulder, hoping to break him out of the daze he was seemingly in. "We're here already. You have to get ready."

Startled out of his daydreaming, Joe had to pause before fully comprehending what was being said to him. "Oh, right. The interview. Give me a minute." Giving himself a look at the mirror and running a hand through his long hair, he felt satisfied and quickly stepped out of the van to where his brothers were already waiting for him. Nick had begun walking with their father towards the entrance, but Kevin looked at Joe, as if trying to figure out what was going on with him. He made a mental note to ask his younger brother about it later when they got home.

: Restaurant Conference Room :

Kevin, Nick and Joe used to make fun of all the girly magazines and all the boy bands that they used to feature with matching hotness ratings. They would have never expected that one day, they would soon be appearing on the pages of the said magazines as one of the hottest acts there are. It was times like this that made their entire experience surreal, especially as they thought back on when they would just goof around in their garage.

The reporter that the magazine had sent to interview them was a nice enough blonde woman who appeared to be in her twenties. Old enough to be able to work such an important job, but apparently still young enough to get all giggly with a single look at the Jonas Brothers.

Partly because of her slightly star-struck attitude, the interview got to a slow start, with her asking the boys what their favorites were and how it was to be in a band with your brothers. Soon though, they were able to get into the groove of the interview and they were able to talk about dealing with sibling rivalry and the pitfalls of being a teenager in show business.

"So, lately, there has been a lot of talk going around about Miley Cyrus," the writer began, just as they thought that their interview was winding down. "You guys were able to go on tour with her, and Nick was even rumored to having dated her, what can you say about this?"

Before Nick could even deny dating Miley, Joe piped up. "You know what, we're real good friends with Miley, and we love her to death." The youngest Jonas was surprised by his brother's outburst as both of them usually left him to field any questions about her. Sensing the uneasiness in the room, Kevin Sr. thanked the interviewer, telling them that they were done for the day, as the boys had already had a long day with their taping. If the reporter was disappointed at having been cut off before getting Nick's comment, she did not show it, and instead shook Mr. Jonas' hand and said goodbye to each of the boys individually. She even asked the boys for their autograph, which they gladly gave her, thankful to finally be going home.

On their way back to the car, Nick saw the opportunity to ask Joe about what had just happened. "What was that? You didn't even let me speak."

"I just wanted to let her know that Miley's our friend, and if she expected to get any dirt on her from us, she had another thing coming," Joe said, truthfully. The day's events were still weighing heavily on his mind and, much like their earlier promise to Miley, he still wanted to do anything he could to help.

: Cyrus Home, A Few Days Later :

Miley was seated at the kitchen counter eating her breakfast while at the same time perusing the contents of the newspaper. She had seen something relating to the Jonas Brothers' interview online and wanted to read if it was true. Sure enough, right there on the entertainment page, right next to the smiling faces of Kevin, Nick and Joe, there was the comment that Joe made about her, made slightly bigger than the rest and in bold lettering.

The fifteen-year old felt a sudden rush of affection for Joe. It wasn't everyday that she was able to read anything positive about herself on the papers these days, much less comments supporting her, and she resisted the urge to have her dad drive her over to the Jonas house so she could give the Joe a big hug to say thank you.

On the other hand, she also felt a sense of disappointment that it was Joe, and not Nick, that had stood up for her. She had wished that he finally understood what it was that she had needed from him during the time that they were together. '_Stop it, Miley,_' she thought to herself. '_If he didn't do it when you were still together and supposedly in love, I don't think he's going to do it now, after you broke up with him'_. She shook her head roughly, as if shaking those thoughts out of her brain as well. Instead, she decided, she should just give Joe a call. She reached for the phone that was placed on the other side of the counter, and dialled a number she knew by heart.

: Jonas Residence :

_RING_

"That's so unfair. Frankie's the youngest. He's supposed to be the one to answer the phone, not me." Nick protested, but nonetheless making his way to the ringing phone mounted on the wall. Having no taping scheduled for that day, the Jonas boys were just hanging out at home and watching television, something they never got enough time to do. However, Joe was over at a friends, so at present, Frankie and Kevin were the ones snickering after having gotten their brother to stand up instead of themselves.

_RING_

"I already explained it you, little brother. If we made Frankie get it, he would have to drag a chair to the wall to be able to reach the phone, and that could possibly take a long time, at which point, the caller on the other end will have put the phone down, which you are now in danger of, if you don't answer it now," Kevin said from his spot on the living room couch.

"You'll pay, for this Kevin. Mark my words! Hello good afternoon, Jonas Residence." Nick said, after picking up on the phone's fifth ring.

"Hello, may I please speak with Joe?" The female voice on the other line said. Nick froze. It wasn't just any voice, but one he knew well.

"Miley?!" He was finally able to blurt out.

"N-n-nick?" Miley's voice said nervously on the other end.

"Um, Joe's not here." He replied awkwardly. "I could take a message though!" Nick added, although louder than he had meant it to be, but he found himself longing to extend their conversation, if you could call it that.

"Erm, no, thank you. I'll just call him on his cell phone. Bye." She said all of this in a rush, wanting to end this phone call as fast as she could.

"Miley, wait!" Nick almost yelled into the phone, not wanting to let go just yet. By this time, he had walked out into their patio, away from Kevin and Frankie. He held his breath, almost a hundred percent sure she was going to slam the phone down on him. Not hearing the dial tone, he took this as a good sign and continued. "How've you been?"

"I'm fine."

"That's good to hear." He stopped, willing her to say anything. When she didn't, he gave a dejected sigh. "Well, I just wanted to know how you were, and now that I know you're okay…" He trailed off, hoping she would say something, but was still disappointed. "What happened to us, Miles?" He could almost hear her cringe at his use of the affectionate nickname.

"I don't know, Nick. I honestly don't know."

He heard the gentle click of the other line soon replaced by the loud and irritating dial tone. He stayed out on the patio, staring at the phone silently until Kevin called him inside an hour later.

END CHAPTER THREE

**A/N:** This is officially the longest chapter I have ever written. I made it in like five hours, all because of your reviews, haha. That would also explain why I wasn't able to proofread this chapter as intensely as the others, so I'm sorry for any mistakes and typos. I wanted to end it earlier, but I promised some people that I would definitely put some Niley, so here you go. There are still some Moe bits, so I hope most of you are happy, haha. I think you can all see what it was that Nick did, and I hope I'm making up for the simple plot with the lengthy explanation.

Bad news is, I'm still reconciling what I'm going to do for the future chapters, so the next update may not be as fast as the previous ones. I'm uploading this on the same day as Chapter 2, after all. To add to all that, I'm actually going to have to enrol in school, and I might not get enough computer time, so I hope this will do until the time I can update. Please give me comments and suggestions. I promise they help a lot. And please, please, review! I really get encouraged by your reviews, so thank you. I hope you keep on reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I'm back! It took a while, but I couldn't stay away for long. I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed and put this story on their alerts list since I've been gone, and I want you guys to know that it's because of you that I'm really trying to make this story good. I know I keep saying that, but it's true, and hopefully it will encourage more people to read and review. Anyways, this chapter was really difficult for me because I think I'm running out of ideas on how to make it longer, and this would explain why this chapter took a while to get posted. Also, I've become aware that this has many Niley and Moe readers, and while I have my own preferences, I would very much like to know what you guys think. So, for now, I'm kind of straddling the line between the two, but at the same time, developing the story. I hope you understand how hard that is and that you guys continue reading. Please let me know what you think of it afterwards.

**DISCLAIMER:** As implied in the name of this genre, this piece of work is entirely FICTIONAL and I fully respect and lament that I have no ties with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or the Disney Channel. I am not getting anything, aside from love from the readers and their reviews.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER FOUR

: Jonas Residence :

Ever since that fateful phone call, Nick Jonas found himself thinking about Miley Cyrus more often-something that he thought was not entirely possible. Nobody really knew that he thought about her everyday. In between the taping of scenes for their shows, during their breaks in the recording studio, the seconds that passed while he watched Joe primp in front of the mirror- those were the moments that he found himself reluctantly thinking about his, he shudders to even think about it, ex-girlfriend. Nowadays, he just thought about her non-stop, even to the point that Kevin and Joe were beginning to fault his usually single-minded focus.

Lying on his bed long after his family had gone to sleep, the memories he had outwardly forgotten but secretly cherished came rushing back to him, along with the corresponding guilt and shame at having been the cause of the end of it all.

_FLASHBACK_

_The Chicago part of the tour saw the opportunity for everybody involved to get some rest somewhere other than their cramped buses. While they had made good homes on the road, everyone was looking forward to finally being able to sleep on a real bed after so long. Most of Nick's family had gotten to sleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows, but he was a different story. It always took him a long time to get used to places, much less sleep in unfamiliar beds, therefore, first nights at hotels were usually sleepless for him. _

_Looking around the bedroom he shared with his two brothers, both of which already peacefully snoring after a long day, the curly-haired youth decided that taking a short walk might tire him out enough to be able to get even a couple of hours of sleep. Leaving a note on Kevin's bedside in case his older brother woke up and looked for him, he also grabbed the key card and set off to wander the halls of the quiet hotel. _

_Seven floors and a couple of minutes later, he found himself walking out into the area where the pool was, and was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar brunette beauty already wading her feet into the clear blue water. _

"_Miley?" He whispered to the figure quietly._

_The young girl gave a small start in surprise before turning around to see who had called her. "Gosh, Nick, you scared me."_

"_Well, I still owe you from that time on the bus."_

"_I guess so," she laughed. "What are you doing here anyway? Wait, let me guess. Couldn't sleep either?" _

"_Yeah," Nick said, sitting beside her on the edge of the pool after folding his pajama pants to his knees. "I guess I'm just not used to it anymore, you know?"_

"_I'm the same way. Too bad we can't make ourselves a glass of milk out here, but you're welcome to the pool water, if you like."_

"_Haha, Miles. You could do better than that."_

"_Give me a break. It's one in the morning and we've been doing interviews since this morning. I'm completely empty of being all witty and charming."_

"_Okay. Seeing as we both need to sleep to have energy for the concert tomorrow, tell me what I can do to help you get to sleep."_

"_Just sit here with me a while. I kind of like just being quiet, you know? It reminds me of home. Not California, but Tennessee. There, it's just this peaceful all the time, no horns honking or really loud music. Cows can't sleep, you see, and where I come from, that's a horrible crime," she laughed softly._

_Nick revelled in the sound of her laughter. In the past couple of weeks they had been together on tour, he was positive he was rapidly becoming addicted to those dulcet tones. When she was laughing, even as softly as she was at that moment, she sounded so carefree and overflowing with joy. _

_They sat there for a while, listening to the sound of the crickets in the trees surrounding the dimly lit pool and the occasional car driving past. "Don't you think it's odd that we're always meeting like this, in the middle of the night?" She whispered questioningly, her head somehow finding its way against his broad shoulder. _

"_I think it's really cool. During the day, we hardly get any time with one another because I'm always with my brothers or we're both rehearsing something or the other, and it all gets so crazy," he replied after pausing to think for while. "But at night, I could just sit and be quiet with you, and it's like everything's okay again, like I can still be me. Think of it as our time."_

_Miley couldn't say anything after that. She felt as if Nick had said everything that she felt about him as well, and she didn't feel the need to add anything else. She instead put her hand in his and hoped that he somehow knew that she felt exactly the same way, and as he squeezed her hand, she knew he did. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Nick felt waves of regret crash through him as he thought about what exactly it was that he gave up. If he had known that they would end up as they are now, he would have never asked her out, and maybe they would still have their friendship. More than anything else, he had missed being able to simply talk with Miley, and as he had told her many months ago, to have her make things okay because lately, he didn't feel quite like himself.

Then again, as he recalled all the fun that they had when they were together, he didn't think that he would want to change that, and now he was left with the feeling that he needed to make things right again. Even if Miley didn't want to get back together with him, there was no way he would let their friendship go to waste. She was too important to him for that. With that firm resolve, he felt himself drift to sleep, and for the first time in months, he was able to dream peacefully,

: Jonas Residence, The Next Day :

Kevin Jonas walked out of his room, hoping to get something to eat from the kitchen downstairs. Nick was still sleeping in and he passed right through his brother's closed door. However, he could not help but observe Joe curiously as he passed the open door of his brother's room. He was able to make out the tail end of the conversation the other was currently having.

The second oldest Jonas was pacing the length of his room, his cell phone held against his ear. "… Even your dad doesn't know where you are. I'm freaking out here, so call me when you get this." With a frustrated growl, he tossed his phone onto his bed before following suit, crashing face first onto the red bedspread.

Ever since that afternoon they had spent together, Joe had made good on his promise to check up on Miley every so often. They had grown a lot closer as they would talk about anything in those times that he would call her on her phone to see how she was doing. He had become a constant source of comfort to Miley when she sometimes cried to him over their conversations. Recalling the sounds of her sobbing made him want to protect her more.

"Um, Joe, are you okay?" Kevin said unsurely, stepping into the room.

Joe lifted his head from the bed long enough to look at his brother, but remained unmoving for a couple more minutes. After a while though, he sat up and tossed the magazine he was holding to Kevin who was still standing at the foot of his bed.

"What am I looking at?" The eldest Jonas said as he began to peruse the periodical he had just been given until he found the small article at the bottom about Nick and Miley. He began to read out loud from the short piece. "'Teen sensations Miley Cyrus of Hannah Montana fame and Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers have split up because of Cyrus' alleged affair with one of the back-up dancers of fellow Disney star Ashley Tisdale.' This is nothing new though, Joe. We've been hearing about this for a while now."

"That's just it. Do you believe it?"

Kevin gave the matter some serious thought, recalling all the times he had seen the pair together. "After seeing how sickly sweet those two were? No, I guess not."

"You know, we never did find out what happened between those two. I mean, Nick's our brother and Miley's almost part of the family."

"That's because both of us had agreed that it was none of our business. It's still none of our business now." Kevin said, placating his younger brother. "That still doesn't explain why you're so bent out of shape about it."

"Miley's dad just called me. He said she went out a couple of hours ago to clear her head, and she's not back yet. She's not answering her cell or anything, and her family's beginning to worry."

"Why would Billy Ray call you though, Joe?" Kevin asked, although he already had a sneaking suspicion as to what his brother's reply was going to be.

"Um, remember that time where I was away from set for a while with a friend? I was actually with Miley," the younger of the two began to answer. "You should've seen her, Kev. When I was with her, she almost collapsed because all she's been doing is practicing and working."

"Why though? I mean, she knows better than that."

"I think this entire thing with the media is beginning to get to her. And this," Joe said, gesturing at the magazine article. "This is the last thing she needs right now."

"So that's why you defended her during our interview that day." Kevin said as more of a statement than a question, getting a small nod from his brother in response.

"Yeah, it is. I mean, I just wish there was something more we could do to help." Joe picked up his phone and began to dial Miley's number again, letting out a frustrated sigh as the pre-recorded message began to play again.

Kevin was at a loss of what to say to his brother. He couldn't tell him not to worry, as he himself was. They sat there in silence, thinking about what they should do next.

: California Boardwalk, Later That Night :

Kevin found the need to get out of house after being driven crazy by Joe's incessant worrying. Not that he wasn't concerned himself, but he knew that Miley was strong and that sometimes, people really did just need to be alone, as he did on some occasions. Taking a sip of the hot coffee he had gotten, he walked along the beach, appreciating the fact that not many people were out, maybe because of the storm that the news had reported as being imminent.

Among the scant figures that can be seen in the fading sunlight, he felt his eyes drawn to a petite figure seated on one of the benches, not really because he was hoping to meet somebody out there, but because he would know those black Uggs anywhere.

Still wanting to make sure though, he walked slowly to the bench and sat down when he recognized the long brunette hair of Miley Cyrus. "Miles?" He was shocked by the raw sadness that he saw in her eyes when she turned her head to look at the source of the familiar voice. "Are you okay? Everyone's been worried about you, you know," he told her gently, afraid that she may run off where no one can get a hold of her again.

"Yeah, I am." Miley began in a resigned tone. "I just needed to get away from everything for a little while."

"Well, I can understand that, but don't you think it's about time you should be getting home?"

Miley ignored the question, replying instead with "Kevin, did you ever wish you weren't in this business?"

"Sure, a lot of times, but then again, I see the fans and I get to play my music, and that makes it all worthwhile. I know that sounds cheesy, but it really does."

"Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. But what if suddenly you found that there are some people that really don't like you or your music? Like they care more about how you're screwing your life up instead of how much you love what you do?"

Kevin thought carefully about his answer, knowing what exactly it was that Miley was feeling at present, especially after what Joe explained to him. "I think as long as there are people that do care about you and your music, and that there are people who still want to see you and be entertained by you, you should keep doing it. You owe them that. You can't please everybody, so you should stop trying to prove yourself to them because they don't deserve it."

Miley stared in front of her in silence before replying. "Yeah, I guess you're right, Kevin, thanks."

"Anytime, Miley, remember that. We're always here for you." Kevin reached over to give her a small hug which she gratefully accepted. "I should get going. I only told Mom I was going out for coffee. Do you need a ride? You should really get home soon as well; the storm might catch you out here."

"No thanks, Kevin. I think I'll stay out here for a while, but I promise to go home soon." The young girl gave a small smile that somehow eased the other's nerves.

"Okay. Do me a favor though. Call Joe. He's at home, freaking out, and he should really know you're all right." After receiving an affirmative response, Kevin began to walk to his car, throwing an occasional look behind his back at the girl who looked to be more than just a little lost.

END CHAPTER FOUR

**A/N:** Personally, I think this is my crappiest chapter, so I apologize. I'm also sorry to any of people who are disappointed at me for writing it, although I wish you weren't. It's kind of necessary, though, so even though it pains me to update this, I shall. I promise to make it up to you in the future. To those of you that will say that this isn't the Jonas Brothers' business, I'd say that they're her friends, and friends worry about one another. And it is all in the sake of the greater plot. I also present my opinion on her Vanity Fair photos here. I mean, god, it's just her back. It's just like taking a picture of her in a halter top or a backless dress. Sorry, my dislike of the media is shining through. Anyways, I hope you all still review, especially on whether you think it should be a Moe or Niley. At present, it's open to both. Thanks again for reading. I promise to update when I have the time.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** First, I'd like to thank everyone who gave their comments to the previous chapter. I wasn't expecting such positive feedback, and it really encourages me to continue this. Thanks for the input, and rest assured, I will take what you guys said into consideration, working it in with the original plot. At this point though, I can't reveal too much of what will happen, but I've decided to let the plot play out some more before finalizing the couple. Once again, thanks, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing. This chapter is especially for **Lovely Heavenly Sarai **and **ttran59**, in appreciation of their support, encouraging and in depth reviewing, but not to forget all those who take time as well: **MileyJoBroFan**, **miixao**, **kmart 153**, **mayniac** and more that I will name at a later date. I read and draw inspiration from every one, so thanks.

**DISCLAIMER:** Please don't sue. This piece of work is not for infringement purposes, nor can I really say that I am connected to Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or the Disney Channel, regardless of how much I want to.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER FIVE

Of course Nick Jonas knew that the Hannah Montana set was right next to their studio. Even before they had begun taping, he had made it his business to know, not only because he was anxious to be working at Disney, but because he wanted to know where Miley spent most of her days. It all came down to her. It always did. He also knew through some of the snack guys that worked both areas that Miley had recently ceased her taping, following some controversy he wasn't sure of. Whether it was ordered or self-imposed house arrest, that, he also wasn't clear on.

It was because of this that Nick currently found himself a few steps away from her California home. He had taken a cab from the studio, but had asked to be dropped off a couple of blocks away, knowing that he'd need a couple of minutes to walk over and really think about what he was about to do. He shuffled the box of chocolate éclairs he had gotten from Miley's favorite bakery that he held in his hands, a little unsure of his gesture. He had debated with himself about it, finally deciding that it would be rude to just show up without anything and that flowers would be too romantic, given their last meeting.

It had been a couple of days since he had made the resolution to patch things up between Miley and himself. While he was sure that it was the right thing to do, it took some time before he was finally able to gather the courage to actually do it. He hadn't even confided in either Kevin or Joe what he was about to do, something that was unusual, given their tight sibling relationship.

Knowing that if he put it off any longer he was never going to go through with it, he took the few remaining steps before pressing the button on the intercom system beside the massive wrought iron gates.

"Cyrus Residence," a warbled voice was projected from the small speaker after a couple of minutes.

"Um, yeah, this is Nick Jonas. I was wondering if I could maybe talk to Miley." Nick was able to get out after clearing his throat nervously.

: Cyrus Home, Kitchen :

Miley had been in the middle of preparing a snack for her and her little sister Noah when she heard the intercom system give off its signature buzz. The rest of her family had gone shopping for the afternoon and the only other occupant of the house was currently in her room blaring Hannah Montana songs from her CD player. This left Miley with no choice but to press the button with her elbow rather than risk getting the peanut butter from the sandwiches she was preparing on it.

"Cyrus Residence," Miley spoke into the general area of the intercom where she knew the microphone was, still struggling with the peanut butter that accidentally got into her fingers.

"Um, yeah, this is Nick Jonas. I was wondering if I could maybe talk to Miley." She froze. It couldn't be, or she just couldn't find it in herself to believe it. She mentally began to process if it could be somebody playing a joke on her, but she knew that voice anywhere. Given the thoughts that were running through her mind, almost as rapidly as her heart was beating at that very moment, it took her a while before she was able to snap out of it and remember that someone was on the other line; a very specific someone at that.

"Yeah, come on in," the strangled reply came just as she pushed the button to open the premises and allow the visitor in.

Gathering her wits about her, Miley rushed to the kitchen and furiously began to scrub her hands under running water. Looking down at her normal clothes of shorts and a tank top, she figured she couldn't afford any time to change but struggled to make herself semi-presentable anyways before going to the house's entryway.

Giving herself a last once-over at the hall mirror, she took a deep breath and opened the door to find herself staring at Nick Jonas. Neither could do anything but take in each other's appearance for a while.

"Um, hi," Nick began awkwardly.

Miley let out the breath she had been holding and somehow found her voice, inviting Nick to come in. So far, she was proud of herself for holding it together. They lingered in the foyer in silence for a while, not really knowing what to say to each other.

"So Nick… what are you doing here?" Miley said, unable to take the uncomfortable silence between them.

The young male took a deep breath before answering. "I, uh, just wanted to see how you were. Oh yeah, I got these for you. I don't really know if you like chocolate, but these are from the bakery we used to go to when…" He let the sentence trail off, mentally kicking himself when he realized the ending of that sentence.

Only wincing slightly, Miley took the box graciously walked the short distance to the kitchen to place it on the island she was working on. "Thanks," she said simply, not really sure of what else there was to say in a situation such as this.

Bravely, Nick began to speak again. "So, I wasn't interrupting anything, was I? It was rude of me to just turn up uninvited. You know what, I should go." He said everything in a rush.

Surprising even herself, Miley didn't want him to leave just yet, and quickly replied "No, you weren't interrupting anything, really. I was just making snacks for me and... Noah." She said her sister's name very slowly, as if only just remembering that there was another person in the house. She finally took note of the absence of the obnoxious music and began to wish that her sister had tired herself out and decided to take a nap.

No such luck. As if on cue, a cry could be heard through out the house. "Miiiiiiley! What's taking you so long?" Both Nick and Miley cringed at the volume, and a short while later, the owner of the voice came into the kitchen, looking very grumpy indeed. That all changed though when the youngest of the three saw that there was somebody else in the house.

"Niiiiiiiiiick!" With that battle cry, Noah ran from the doorway and launched herself onto their guest who was thankfully able to catch her before both of them were slammed against the refrigerator door.

"Nice to see you too, Miss Noah," the Jonas boy said after struggling to catch the breath that was winded out of him.

Despite herself, Miley smiled at the interaction between the two. She had forgotten that Nick was Noah's favorite, perhaps because out of all the brothers, he was the only one who politely listened to her endless chatter, both Joe and Kevin being severely impatient, and even sometimes allowed her to play with his hair. Finally catching the panicked looks that Nick was throwing her amidst her younger sisters amusing babble, she tried to prise the young girl off of the boy's midsection.

"Come on, Noah. You can have your snack now. I made you some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

Noah was temporarily distracted by her food and was unable to notice the uneasiness between her companions. The two sat on either side of Noah on the small island counter, chattering about how she was going to guest-star on Hannah Montana real soon. Miley got up to go to the fridge while Nick continued to listen to the younger Cyrus, pretending to know what she was talking about, occasionally commenting when he could. The older girl laughed softly at the sight of Nick Jonas admitting that pink was a very nice color while she poured out two glasses of juice before sitting down once more, handing one of them to Nick. He mouthed a thank you at her in response.

After a while, Miley decided to take advantage of the fact that her sister was beginning to look a little drowsy and asked her if she wanted to watch a movie, knowing that if they did, the young girl would be asleep in a matter of minutes. As she helped her sister of the tall kitchen stool, she gestured for Nick to follow them into the spacious living room and asked him to sit down while she set-up Noah's choice of movie. Just as she had anticipated, her sister was asleep even before the real movie had started.

All this time, Nick was just observing Miley. He had been really unsure of his decision to visit her, and in the various scenarios he had gone over in his head, none of them had included being invited to watch a movie with her and her sister. Granted, they were still not able to talk, but he was extremely optimistic if only for the mere fact that Miley hadn't thrown him out yet. There were so many ways that this could go wrong, and he was determined to do it right this time around.

After making sure, that Noah was sound asleep, Miley stood up to turn off the TV. She covered the sleeping girl in a lightweight blanket before finally talking to Nick.

"So… you want to go for a walk outside?"

Nick felt all the ease in him disappear and was only able to give a short nod before standing to join Miley who was already at the back door. Once there, they walked the familiar path around the airy garden, just taking in the peaceful surroundings. After a while they sat down on the garden furniture, but neither knew exactly where to start.

"Miley… I'm sorry, for everything. I really am."

"Nick, if anything, I should be the one apologizing. I mean, I promised that we could still be friends, but I haven't been a pretty good one lately." Her discomfort with Nick was replaced with the familiar soothing effect that his presence had on her. Recalling how they were even before they started going out allowed her to let go of all the untoward feelings she had for him. She never could hold a grudge for too long. She was surprised at the ease with which she was able to forgive everything, but it was true that, as she said on that fateful night, she still cared about him a lot.

"I don't blame you for any of it. I understand where you were coming from. I'm sorry that it took me this long before starting to fix things again, because I have to tell you, Miles, I've missed you." Nick said with a most sincere expression on his face.

"I think we needed the time apart to think about a lot of things, but I'm really glad that we're able to talk now. I've missed having you as a friend too, Nick." The young man was unsure of why he felt a slight pit in his stomach at her words because he was really glad just to have her company again. Pushing the uneasy feeling, he smiled at her. "So, you think, maybe we could really try being friends this time?"

"I think I'd like that," Miley said with a soft smile on her face, for the first time in a long while, being honest about the entire thing.

They continued to talk for a while before Nick reluctantly said he had to leave. He hadn't really planned on staying that long and consequently failed to ask permission from his mother, although he had sent her a text message about going to visit a friend. He said goodbye to Miley and even gave a sleeping Noah a kiss on the cheek before going, promising to visit again real soon.

Over the next couple, Nick and Miley kept their promise to one another to try harder at being friends once more, and could often be found texting one another or chatting online about everything, from their families to their shows. Well, almost everything, as neither really wanted to discuss the gossip magazines and their latest controversies, choosing instead to get used to being in constant communication with one another again.

: Cyrus Home, A Few Days Later :

Given that Nick's parents weren't as understanding about disappearing for an entire afternoon as he had hoped, it was a full week before he was able to return to the Cyrus household. Having gotten proper permission from his mom this time around, he was once again shuffling his feet in front of the familiar gates. Although he and Miley were beginning to get comfortable around each other again, this was still only their second time to meet, and they still had a long way to go.

Walking to the door after he let Miley know he was there, he smiled at the ice cream he was holding in his hands, feeling really good with the way things were going, before deciding to get a hold on his actions before anyone else saw him and think he was going crazy. He laughed at the thought and shook his head gently.

"Hey!" Miley greeted him at the door. "Ooh, is that ice cream?"

Nick laughed at her childlike expression. "Yes, it is," he managed to get out, before she got the bag from his hands and made her way to the kitchen for some spoons. "I feel so used. You're lucky I like you, Cyrus."

Both of them froze. Quickly, Nick recovered and with an uncertain grin said, "I mean, famous rock stars don't usually give their fans anything."

Miley was relieved at not having to reply to his previous comment and played along. "You wish, Jonas," she laughed nervously, before offering him another spoon which he took from her proffered hand. They ate quietly for a while, sometimes sneaking smiles at one another, but mainly just enjoying the closeness they seem to have recovered. Miley, being left alone in the house once again, asked Nick if he could stay to keep her company, and he readily agreed, eager to spend as much time with her as he could.

They found themselves falling back into their routine of long ago. They were very much in sync as Nick put the leftover ice cream in the freezer as Miley took the spoons and put them into the dishwasher after rinsing them. He allowed her to lead him into the living room where she put in Finding Neverland without even having to ask him what he wanted to watch, something that Nick appreciated much more than Steel Magnolias. Not that he wouldn't have watched it if she had wanted to. They sat down next to one another on the couch, and it was in this manner that her family found them when they came home not long after they had begun watching.

"Ehem." Billy Ray Cyrus cleared his throat to catch the attention of the two teenagers who were too enraptured by what they were watching to even notice most of the family by the doorway.

Miley and Nick instantly stood up, almost guiltily; Miley hadn't told anybody that the two of them were talking again, and had expressly warned Noah not to mention Nick's visit to anyone, else Miley wouldn't let her have some of her Hannah stuff.

"Um, good afternoon, Mr. Cyrus, Mrs. Cyrus," Nick said, not knowing how to act in the awkward situation.

"Nick, it's good to see you, dear," Tish Cyrus greeted him warmly and before going to fix the items they had bought. The head of the Cyrus household, however, was harder to read because other than a gruff nod to acknowledge his greeting, Billy Ray had remained mostly quiet, scrutinizing the boy in front of him. Nick shifted his weight between his feet, looking anywhere but at Miley's father. Thankfully, he was rescued by Braison who greeted him loudly as he came forward.

"Nick! It's been too long since I've seen you. It's good that you're here. I'm always stuck with the girls, and I've been dying for some competition on this new video game that I got." Braison began to tug Nick in the direction of his room. The young Jonas gave Miley an apologetic grin before allowing the other boy to drag him upstairs.

All while this was happening, Brandi gave Miley an amused smile, trying to ask her sister with a raised eyebrow what exactly was going on between the two teenagers. Miley pretended to be annoyed with her, but finally gave in with an embarrassed smile that seemed to say that they would talk later when they were alone.

It was a couple of hours later before any of them heard anything from the boys. Miley had been avoiding her talk with her older sister, not knowing how to explain the recent events to herself, much less to another person. She helped her mother prepare their dinner, deep in her own thoughts.

She saw how seamlessly Nick was once again accepted into her family, but that was no surprise as she didn't really tell anyone why they broke up in the first place. Only Brandi really knew, and that made their sisterly talk all the more appealing, as she knew the past would eventually have to be brought up, not because her older sister didn't like Nick, but because Miley knew Brandi would do everything to protect her if she thought somebody was going the hurt her little sister. Again.

While watching the boys' have fun together and how much Noah loved having Nick around again, Miley was still wary of the entire thing. She was beginning to think that maybe it was not such a good idea for the Jonas to be such a big part in her life again, or her family members' for that matter, because, quite simply put, she wasn't sure if he was going to stick around. This was her greatest fear, and lately, as she found herself wanting to spend more and more time with him, she was terrified that she wouldn't be able to let go as easily as she had the last time.

"Miley?" Tish broke her daughter's train of thought, wildly shaking the head of lettuce she was holding at the teen who was currently staring out into space.

"Huh?" Miley finally broke out of her reverie after being splattered with some drops coming from the freshly washed greens. "Did you need anything, Mom?"

Tish merely laughed at her daughter's antics, thinking that she knew what exactly was going through the brunette's mind. "I said, would you like to ask if Nick wants to stay for dinner. We're eating in ten minutes."

"Uh, yeah, I'll go and ask him right now." Miley sheepishly answered her mom before running up the stairs. Opening the door to her Braison's room, she was not surprised to see both boys sitting in front of the television, yelling loudly and completely oblivious to her presence. Knowing she wouldn't be heard over this din and that there was absolutely no way that either of them were going to give up, she simply reached over and pulled the plug on the game console.

Nick and Braison watched the TV go black before sputtering, still shocked at what had become of their fierce game. They shot Miley deathly grins, which she returned with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Mom wants you to come down for dinner. She says we're eating soon. And Nick, she wants to know if you want to eat with us."

"Um, sure, I'd love to, thanks."

: Hours Later :

Dinner at the Cyrus household was mainly an informal affair. After holding hands to say grace, everybody dug into the hearty food and ate their fill. Their eating was punctuated with conversation, stories shared with the entire table and laughter as they watched Noah and Braison battle it out for the last piece of pecan pie. Nobody really noticed that Miley was mostly silent throughout that time.

Pretty soon, it was time for Nick to leave, and he reluctantly bade everyone goodbye. He wasn't really aware of how much he had missed Miley's family until he had been fully immersed in it again. Miley had offered to walk him to the door, and he was glad to have some time alone with her, as he had not been able to do since everyone had arrived home.

"Hey, are you okay? I haven't heard you say anything since you called me and Braison to dinner." Nick peered into her face worriedly.

"Um, yeah, I am. Don't worry about it." She seemed distant from him and he couldn't help but be bothered by it.

"Come on, Miley. I know you better than that. You can tell me anything, I promise. Maybe I can help you."

Miley didn't know what to say. She was worried at how fast and easy it all seemed, and every single one of her fears seemed to be magnified by the fact that they were alone and that her heart was beginning to do that rapid beating thing she was familiar with. She knew that if she didn't stop this now, she would be back wherever she was when they first broke up.

"You know what, Nick?" The suddenly angry tone of Miley's voice took him by surprise. "You say that now, but what happens when we get out there again, huh? You come in here, away from all that, making my family like you and making me fall for you again, but this is what happened the last time too! I don't even think that this is such a good idea anymore."

Nick was shocked, to say the least. It seemed that everything was going well, until this was brought up again. Rather than disagree with Miley, he knew she had a point, but was determined to make her see that this time wouldn't be like the last. "Miley, look at me, please. I told you I was sorry. Will you please just give me a chance?"

The conversation was beginning to get eerily familiar, and they both knew it. "I just need time to think about this Nick. Maybe you should just leave for now," Miley said so quietly, that Nick felt the desperation in it, and simply obeyed.

END CHAPTER FIVE

**A/N:** Whew! I did not expect that chapter to be that long. Hopefully it was clear and got its point across and was able to show everyone not to give up on Niley jut yet, haha. Sorry if Miley seemed to be PMS-ing but try to understand that she's had a lot of thoughts bottled up. Add that to her fears and insecurities, and I'm sure it's enough to make anyone else explode as well. Also, I'm sorry that this took a while to be posted. It's just that my internet's going screwy on me, and I'm relieved I was able to go online at all. Well, that's that. I hope you really liked this chapter. Please read and review.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** First, I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. It was the most comments I've received so far, and thankfully, most of them were positive. It must mean that I'm doing something right, and I appreciate it very much. Likewise, I'd also like to thank those who added me to their alerts; they truly make my heart happy.

Okay, I know most of you were confused with the last chapter, most especially since I kept alluding to what happened in their past. Don't worry; it wasn't some elaborate plot that I hid inside the previous chapters that you didn't get. It's yet to be revealed. I think I'm enjoying the flashbacks way too much. I was trying to work it into the present, and I sincerely appreciate those who commented on the writing style, because now I know how I can make it better. That being said, I shall say that this chapter is the beginning of the end, and you will see why this is so in a bit. I really didn't plan on making this long, as my new term will be starting in three weeks, and I don't foresee much free time. Hopefully I'll have this finished by then, and that you'll still keep reading and reviewing.

**DISCLAIMER:** Neither my financial nor social status has changed since the last chapter, and as such, I still do not own, nor am affiliated with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or the Disney Channel. I am also losing hope of ever seeing them in person, so please, don't sue or report me. Thank you.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER SIX

Joe Jonas had always considered himself to be a pretty laid-back guy. Whereas Nick and Kevin both liked organization and making plans ahead of time, he had always gone with the flow, choosing to face life as it comes. Despite the things that had been thrown at him and his brothers because of their celebrity, he had learned to take everything with a grain of salt instead of panicking and stressing the small things. This, he believed, was the reason he is able to maintain his sanity in show business, even though everybody else thinks he has long since lost it.

However, when Miley called him on his cell phone in tears asking him if he could come and meet her, he believed it was one of the few moments in his life that he did lose it. He barely had enough time to toss Kevin his keys and yell at him to drive him to wherever Miley was before he was out of the door and by the passenger's door. A thousand scenarios had gone through his mind from the door to the driveway, and none of them had been good enough to explain why Miley would call him crying. He was able to make out the words 'beach' and 'come' amidst the young girl's sobbing and that was why he was currently scouring the shore before he called the coast guard to help him search the waters before it got too dark.

Relief washed over Joe as he was able to make out Miley's figure by the farthest end of the beach, sitting very close to where the tide was breaking. He sat next to her quietly, knowing she had seen him approaching, and put an arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him. He was glad to know that she was safe and, giving her a once-over, that nothing bad had happened to her, at least not anything with marks he could see.

Joe finally chose to break the silence when he was sure that Miley was okay. "Miles?" He could still feel the slight tremor in her shoulders and was hesitant to speak, lest she should start crying again. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," the young girl said, still refusing to look up from where she was staring at her hands. "I shouldn't have called you. You shouldn't have come. It was stupid."

"Hey, if it's got you like this, then it's clearly important to you. I'm glad you called. Didn't I tell you that I'll be there for you whenever you need me to be?" Even in the dark, those blue eyes shone with surprise and gratitude as Miley engulfed Joe in big hug that lasted for a couple of minutes before they both settled with sitting next to each other in silence.

"Joe? Can we just not talk about it? I don't really feel up to explaining it right now. I will tell you, I promise. Just not now, okay?" The young girl's voice was still a bit hoarse from crying and thick with tears that were still threatening to fall.

"I don't need you to tell me. All I want to know is, are you okay?" The older boy peered into her face, honest concern shining in his eyes, wanting to know more for his benefit at this point.

"Yeah," Miley answered after a while. "It helps that you're here. Thanks for coming, Joe." He was still unsure as to what led them both here, but he was willing to let it go for the moment, just glad that she seemed to be getting better.

"Hey, come on," the Jonas boy said suddenly, getting up and dusting the sand from his pants. "Nothing makes people better than ice cream. I don't think there's a better time for it than now."

Before Miley could protest because of how horrible she must've looked, she was already being pulled from her sitting position and walking rapidly to keep up with Joe's stride. Sooner than she expected, they were standing in front of a local Dairy Queen, and she couldn't help but laugh at Joe's childlike expression as he ogled at the choices on display and the apparent difficulty he was having at deciding what to get. After placing their orders, the pair chose a booth at the back of the shop, away from the big bay windows and from the curious spectators.

Joe seemed to take it upon himself to cheer his companion up, and truly, Miley couldn't help but laugh at his antics, begging mercy when he threatened to do an interpretative dance to Zac Efron's 'Bet On It'. The earlier parts of the day seemed so far away, and Miley couldn't help but think of the irony that two brothers could make her feel so different.

Nick had always made her feel the extremes of emotions. While he was the one who could make her feel ecstatically happy, her problems with him had brought her to some of her lowest times. Joe, on the other hand, was always there for her, making her laugh and smile, and she was used to the ease that it brought her. She always got a sense of comfort around Joe, second only to the sense of warmth and security that Nick's presence gave her.

It was true that before their meeting at the studios, they had never spent much time alone. During their tour, in the times she wasn't with Nick, she was with both Kevin and Joe, and she loved the feeling of being around her big brothers. During the past few weeks, though, she couldn't deny that Joe had been a great source of strength, and she was extremely grateful for that. She smiled softly to herself, partly at the thought, and partly at the sight of the eighteen-year old trying to sneakily steal some ice cream from her half-full cup.

Joe was glad to finally see his companion smiling, despite the fact that it had taken various stabs at his dignity. He was congratulating himself on the job well done just as he was distracted by the sudden commotion he heard from the outside. "Uh-oh," the male's voice brought the young girl out of her reverie. "Looks like the paparazzi have found us." Joe cast a worried glance at Miley, who had sunk further into the booth, before trying to discreetly assess the situation outside. "What are you betting that tomorrow's news will say that we're dating?" He attempted to joke, but was silenced by the serious look that met him.

"Joe! You can't be seen with me. Not right now." He was taken aback by the sense of urgency in her voice.

"Why do you say that? I mean, there's nothing wrong with two friends going out for ice cream. Hey, I'll just call Kevin to pick us up, okay?" Before she could say anything, Joe was on his cell phone calling his brother to come and pick them up. After giving him the address, he looked questioningly at Miley, noticing the uneasy look on her face.

"What's up? I don't think your parents will think we're going out, if that's what you're thinking. If you want, I can go and explain to them when we drop you off at your house."

"It's not that. They like you and your brothers, and they trust me. I just don't think it will be good for you to be seen with me for a little while. I mean, after everything, the media and the public don't really like me a lot right now."

Joe was at a loss as to what to say. On one hand, he wanted to get mad at Miley for thinking that he would stop being her friend, and on the other hand, he was devastated to hear the defeated tone of her voice. Both feelings, however, were overshadowed by the anger he was feeling at those people for making her feel like she was something to be avoided. As he was about to say something to Miley to dispute her claims, his phone rang, alerting both of them that Kevin was there.

"No, seriously, I can get my dad to pick me up. You go ahead."

Joe ignored her protests and once again pulled her, this time towards the door. "Nonsense, Miley," he said seriously, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You are much more than what the press makes you out to be. Neither Kevin nor I, nor Nick for that matter, are going to stop hanging out with you because it's 'bad for our image.' You believe that, don't you?"

Miley was speechless at the earnest tone of his voice. She never imagined such a declaration to come from Joe, and was genuinely touched with his words.

"Now, come on, missy. Kevin's waiting and we need to get you home." The young man pushed the door and went ahead, clearing a path as he made his way to Kevin's car.

Miley stood motionless in the middle of the crowd, not really knowing what to do. She was torn with wanting to go with the Jonas boys and her desire to protect them as best as she could. She was beginning to look like a deer in headlights, with camera flashes going off all around her.

Joe was already to the door of the car when he looked behind him to make sure that Miley was able to follow him all right, but was surprised to see that she wasn't near him, but stuck in the middle of the throng of reporters, asking her to comment on the issues that have been plaguing her. They had also begun to ask her if the two of them were dating, and Joe might have almost found it hilarious if it weren't for Miley's helpless expression. He shoved his way through the crowds to stand next to the poor girl, grabbed hold of her hand to lead the way to where the car was waiting. To his surprise, she still refused to budge.

By this time, the fifteen-year old girl didn't really know what to do. The next thing she knew, Joe had gripped her hand and was pulling her. She was shocked at this open and seemingly mundane act to anyone else, but to her it meant a lot for someone to reach back for her. She looked up from her gaze at their clasped hands and saw Joe throw her an exasperated look, and coming to her senses, she finally followed him to Kevin.

_FLASHBACK_

_It was a month into the tour before Nick and Miley were officially together. Many people might comment on the short amount of time it took, but to those around them, it was a long time coming. Joe and Kevin had to experience countless nights of their youngest brother moaning about his situation, whereas Tish found herself recollecting her girlhood memories of boyfriends past to her young daughter more often than not. Needless to say, most parties, understandably excluding Billy Ray, were glad when Nick finally got the courage to ask his female co-star out._

_One particular day, during a stopover on their way to a show in Texas, the new couple decided to finally go on a date outside of the bus, as all they had been able to do was watch movies in the back room of the bus with the others. So, with permission and strict warnings from their parents, the two teenagers emerged from the bus wearing their regular clothes and clasping each other's hands._

"_I'm really glad we decided to do this, Nick," the young girl said, smiling shyly as her free hand fidgeted with the rims of her oversized sunglasses. _

"_Yeah, I am too. I mean, I love Joe and Kevin, and your parents and everything, but it's good to finally be alone, you know?" He squeezed her hand, pulling her along the main road of the city they were in. They had planned to walk along the sights before going to take in a movie with dinner afterwards, glad to be able to do something normal. _

_Due to their close friendship, their first official date didn't bear the traces of awkwardness most had, but nonetheless, both of them were still giddy. At one point in the movie, Miley had almost fallen out of her seat when Nick put his arm around her, as he usually did when they were sitting together. Despite the familiarity between them, there was still the atmosphere of nervousness and excitement. They were still new to being in an actual relationship and were testing the boundaries of what it had changed in their already close friendship. After receiving a kiss from Miley on the cheek after he had refused to accept her money to pay for dinner, Nick could say that he was definitely enjoying the new benefits of their relationship, as he felt a spark of electricity from the spot her lips had touched. _

_It was still early in the evening when Nick and Miley started making their way to the area where their tour bus was parked. They had promised not to stay out too late, and neither wanted to get on their parents' bad side, lest they would not be allowed to go out alone again. For Nick's part, he knew that Joe and Kevin were most probably waiting for him to hear all about how it went, and Miley really wanted to tell her mom how perfect their night had been. They were in no hurry though-neither of them wanted to end their night just yet, and they walked at a leisurely pace, with their fingers laced together. _

_Once they had reached their designated lot, however, they were prevented from entering by a throng of reporters crowded by the gated entrance. As soon as he made out the distinct shape of cameras from a distance, Nick was quick to let go of Miley's hand and to move away from her a bit. _

_She felt the loss of the warmth of his hand almost immediately, and before she could ask him what was wrong, flashes were already blinding her and they were being bombarded with questions by the paparazzi that had just spotted them. Nick had stepped forward, graciously answering some of their questions while moving towards the buses. _

"_Nick, Miley, are you two going out?" _

_Before she could give an answer, the Jonas boy was already quick to respond with "No, we're not. We're just friends who like to hang out together."_

_Miley's face fell at his answer, but she tried to hide it. She couldn't explain why it had suddenly made her sad and disappointed. She had thought that they had reached an understanding, but apparently she was mistaken. She decided to ask him about it when they were alone later. "Yeah, Nick and I are just friends," she finally affirmed quietly, looking at her companion who was refusing to meet her eyes._

_Thankfully, not much needed to be said as Billy Ray emerged from the mass of bodies, and put his hand on Miley's shoulder to lead her away. "Okay, folks, that's all for tonight. It's late, and we have to be leaving soon. Thank you." As they were walking the short distance, he noticed his daughter's silence and Nick's uneasiness, but just as he was about to ask how their evening went, Miley kissed him goodnight and climbed on the bus without so much as another word. He looked to the young boy for an explanation, but he too mumbled his thanks and goodnight before joining the others on the bus. _

_END FLASHBACK_

: Jonas Residence :

"Hey, Kevin, thanks again for tonight," Joe said to his older brother as they were climbing up the stairs to their rooms later that night.

"No problem, bro. I'm just glad to be able to help Miley," the eldest Jonas said sincerely before adding in a more hushed tone, "You think she's okay? She seemed pretty quiet on the ride back."

"I'm not really sure. She was smiling again when we were in the ice cream shop, but she got all serious when we were leaving."

"You don't think that there something wrong with her at home, do you?"

"Nah, that's not it. We know her family; they're not like that. But Kev, something she said worried me."

"What was it?" Kevin said, his brow furrowed, seriously concerned.

"You know, she didn't want to leave with us when she saw that there were reporters? She said something like being seen with her would be bad for our image." Joe said, puzzled about what it meant himself.

"She can't seriously be thinking that. I mean, she knows we love her and that we would do anything for her."

"Yeah, but she loves us too, and I think to her, it's her mixed up way of protecting us from it all," the younger of the two said after some moments of deep thought.

"Wow," Kevin didn't really know what to say to that.

"Yeah, I just don't know anymore, but whatever. I'll try to talk to her tomorrow about it. Good night, Kevin."

"Good night," he said to his brother's retreating back walking further down the corridor to where his room was. "And Joe…"

"Yeah," the other boy turned around to face his brother whose hand was already on the doorknob.

"You're a really good friend. I'm proud of you, bro."

"Thanks, Kevin." Joe smiled to himself. It really wasn't often that he and Kevin had serious talks, but he was sincerely touched at what his brother had said. It had been a long day, and with that thought that was clearly more pleasant than what they had been discussing, he was eager to get some sleep.

: The Next Day :

Joe knocked against his younger brother's door. It was already one in the afternoon and Nick was still yet to come out of his room since he had been home that night, and that was beginning to worry his mom, hence she had ordered her second oldest son to bring him down for something to eat.

"Hey, Nick, are you awake man? Mom wants you to come down and get something to eat. You know skipping meals can be bad for you especially." Joe was confused as to what was making his younger brother act this way. During the past week, Nick had been happier than any of them had seen in a while. He could often be seen smiling at something on his cell phone or laughing to himself in front of the computer. None of them really questioned what the cause could be, mainly just glad that he seemed to be getting out of the sullen state he had been on since the end of the tour.

"Hey, Nick! Seriously, are you okay? I'm coming in." When he opened the door, his eyes had difficulty adjusting to the sudden darkness. All the lights were off and the curtains were drawn shut. There was barely any sunlight that allowed Joe to make out the figure of his younger brother on his bed, sitting blank-faced against the headboard. Joe wasn't sure as to what to do next, and walked carefully to the side of the bed, closing the door after him.

"Hey, Nick J, I know you're getting into the spy persona, but isn't this a bit too much?" The older boy said, trying to loosen up the atmosphere. When he didn't get an answer, he sat on the bed carefully, placing his hand on Nick's leg.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? 'Cause I can get your medicine. You have some in your bathroom, right?" He said anxiously, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

He was already getting up from his sitting position, when Nick put his hand on his arm. "No, I'm not sick, Joe."

Relieved as he was to hear that his brother was fine, he became more concerned at the sound of Nick's voice, raspy and as if he was tearing up. "Well, what's wrong? I haven't seen you like this since you and Miley broke up." He said the end part carefully, not sure if it was wise to bring up the subject.

"I screwed up, Joe."

"What do you mean? Whatever it is, we can fix it. Come on, tell me about it."

"I thought everything was going great again, but something happened, and I'm not sure what, but I think it's worse than before."

"What's worse? I can't help you if I don't understand, Nick," the other boy said gently while moving to put a comforting arm around his brother's shoulders. He seemed to be doing a lot of this lately.

"I was over at Miley's house last night. Last week, when I was missing, I went to her house to apologize, and it seemed like we were becoming friends again." If Joe was surprised to hear that, he hid it very well, still listening in rapt attention to what was being said. "Yesterday, I was over at her house and had dinner with her family, but before I left, she got mad at me and started saying that she can't let it be like it was last time. The sad thing is, I couldn't tell her that it won't be."

The older Jonas was beginning to connect the dots in his head, with Miley refusing to talk about what happened last night and Nick's confession, but he knew that there was more to this story that he didn't know. "What did happen the last time? What can't happen again, Nick?" He prodded gently, wanting to know as much as he could, but more thoughtful of his brother's feelings.

"She said I was ashamed of our relationship. Every time somebody asked us if we were dating, I didn't want to admit it, and I didn't let myself be seen being close to her. I begged her to understand, but she said it was hurting too much."

Joe was slowly beginning to understand what Miley had said to him last night. Her fears weren't baseless, and he was sad that she had to feel that way. "And were you?" He said to Nick, keeping out the disappointment in his voice, reserving his judgment until he heard what his brother had to say.

Nick was suddenly livid. "Of course I wasn't! How could you think that I would be that kind of person?"

"I'm not saying that, bro. It's just that with what you were saying you did, I can't say Miley was wrong," Joe said, trying to placate his brother.

"I was scared, okay?" The other brother said more quietly, barely loud enough for Joe to hear him.

"Scared? Of what?"

"I loved her." Nick said in a serious tone. "I was scared that they'd take it and rip it apart. That people would take it and make it what they wanted it to be."

"Oh," Joe said quietly, finally understanding everything. He wished he could say something to comfort Nick, but truth was, he didn't know what to do with his new knowledge himself.

END CHAPTER

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. My computer's still broken, and I'm writing this in an internet shop. It would also explain why it was a little more rough than I would have liked, but I hope it helped you guys understand everything. I'm sorry for the drama, but it had to happen. It might be too over the top, but it's love, haha. Please read and review. I'll try to update sooner, promise. I love you guys!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Okay, I'm totally hesitant to write this chapter. The reviews I got for the last chapter were really discouraging, but nonetheless, I would still like to thank the people that did give comments and suggestions. It's for you guys that I'm writing this update. Also, I've been losing a lot of interest in Nick and Miley lately, and fan fiction in general, so the lack of inspiration may be reflected in the future chapters, but I promise you, I really am trying my best to make it good. I also looked over the previous chapter, and I found some typos, so I'm really sorry about that too. So, without further ado, I give you the next chapter. As always, please, read and review. I really look forward to reading what you think.

**DISCLAIMER:** This piece of work is entirely FICTIONAL and is not being published for infringement purposes. I am in no way connected to Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, their families or the Disney Channel. Please don't sue. I do this for the sake of writing only.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER SEVEN

: Jonas Residence :

It was eight in the morning when Joe Jonas was jolted from his deep sleep by the insistent beeping of his alarm clock. Habit dictated that he set it every morning after waking up, knowing that he would forget it before going to bed. However, he did not account for the long day he had before, not to mention his conversation with Nick and the long thinking he had done afterwards. Needless to say, it was pretty late when he finally got some sleep. He barely had time to strip down to his boxers and undershirt before collapsing onto his bed and pulling the covers over his head.

He burrowed further into his pillow, determinedly blocking out the rays of light streaming into his window and praying that the snooze function will soon kick in so he could go back to sleep. When that didn't happen, a blind hand shot out from under the covers, attempting to grab the offending object currently sitting on the bedside table, much to the amusement of a standing spectator.

Kevin made his way to his brother's side, getting directly on the path of Joe's grabs, receiving some blows to his arms. "Um, Joe, would you please stop hitting me and wake up so I can tell you about my wonderful plan?" The alarm clock stopped beeping, and so did the bed's occupants attempts to toss it to the side, but the younger Jonas still did not respond to his brother's wake-up call. After a few minutes of waiting, Kevin grabbed the sheets and, with much resistance, pulled them off Joe, who kept his eyes tightly shut.

"You can't ignore me for the entire morning, Joseph."

"No, but I can lie here and try to fall asleep again," Joe whined to his brother whom had taken to poking his arm in the hopes of getting him awake. "Come on, Kev. Have some mercy. I haven't been sleeping that long."

Although Kevin pitied his brother, knowing the day he had previously, he was really excited about his plan and needed somebody to help him. "Seriously, you'll like what I'm going to propose, Joe."

The middle brother's voice came muffled from underneath his pillow, but nonetheless said, "I know I'm the hottest brother, Kevin, and I'm flattered, really, but I think we're nowhere near that in our relationship."

"You're sick, bro. Come on, get up! I really need your help." Hearing the emphasis in his brother's voice, and never being one to refuse his family, Joe reluctantly removed the pillow from his head and sat up, revealing his dishevelled head of hair and bleary eyes.

"Fine, fine, I'm up anyway. This better be good. I'm skipping out on beauty sleep for this."

"It is, I promise." He spoke eagerly, tripping over some of his words in his rush to get them all out. "You know how Nick's been pretty moody lately? I was thinking that the three of us could maybe go out today. I mean, all the time we've been spending together lately has been work stuff, and we never get to do anything fun. I thought it would be cool if we could just hang out, go to the new amusement park or whatever. I already asked permission from mom and dad, and they said it was a good idea. They even volunteered to take Frankie to the mall today so it could just be us guys."

Even with his sleep addled brain, Joe could see how much thought his older brother had put into his plan, and he had to admit that it was a perfect of way of distracting Nick from his situation for a while, if only to give him more time to figure out how to help his younger brother and friend from this mess they now found themselves in. "You're right, Kevin. It's a great plan. Have you told Nick already?"

"Um, yeah, that's kind of the part that I need your help with. We both know that there's no getting Nicholas out of the house when he gets into these moods of his, but I really think it'll be good for him. I figure with the two of us, it'll be easier to convince him. That or it'll be easier to haul him into the car."

Joe found himself laughing at this. "Okay, okay. You've convinced me. Give me half an hour to get ready, then we can go and ask Nick together." Kevin slapped him on the back before he walked out of the door and could be heard walking down the stairs. Joe ran his hands over his face. It was going to be another long day.

: Two Hours Later, Boardwalk Carnival :

Surprisingly enough, Nick had been easy to convince to get out of the house. He had taken a look around of his room and realized that almost everything in his room reminded him of something of Miley and was beginning to feel suffocated. He welcomed the idea of going out with his brothers, admitting that it really has been too long since they all last hung out without shop talk.

They had driven around for half an hour before Kevin's stomach and Joe's desire to go on some rides led them to this carnival. They wandered around for a bit, eating their fill of candied corn and funnel cakes, occasionally stopping to sign an autograph or two for some fan that had recognized them which, thankfully, were not many.

Joe had convinced them to get on the Ferris wheel, but after one ride, all of them decided it was too hot to go again. Nick and Kevin had put their foot down and outright refused to ride the carousel with Joe, choosing instead to laugh at their brother as he made a fool of himself amongst all the children waving to their parents. However, when the three of them spotted the sign for the bump cars, they all immediately fell in line. They were all taunting one another as they buckled into the small compartments and started the mechanical engines. All three spent their entire ten minutes attempting to knock into one another and laughing loudly at their antics.

"I am so the king of bump cars," Nick declared, holding his hands up in triumph as the three of them exited the arena.

"Whatever, dude. We were obviously letting you win," Joe scoffed at him in return.

"Sure, Joe, because we all know you meant to ram your car into the wall in the first five minutes you were in the car." Kevin snickered at his brother, giving Nick a high-five in congratulations before sharing a meaningful look with his other brother. Neither of the older Jonas boys were really arguing with the fifteen-year old, just glad that he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.

"Hey guys, wait a minute. I'm going to get a hotdog." Before either of his brothers could say anything, Nick was already making his way to the vendor a couple of meters away. Both Kevin and Joe were relieved that he was willingly eating something, after having to force cereal on him earlier in the morning at home.

"Yeah, could I get that with ketchup and relish please? Thanks." As the youngest Jonas Brother paid and waited for his food, he let his eyes wander around his surrounding, smiling as he caught sight of his brothers talking to one another. He knew that their little trip was mainly for his benefit, and he was glad that he had agreed to join them on this outing. It was turning out to be a really fun day so far, something he really needed after the past events.

As he continued to scour the place, something caught his eye. He walked over to the benches where a couple of middle-aged women sat, reading the tabloids, ignoring the calls of the vendor to him.

"Um, excuse me, ladies. I was wondering if maybe I could borrow your newspaper for a bit." He smiled at them, maintaining his calm and polite composure.

"Not at all, sweetheart. In fact, you can have it. I was done reading it anyway." The woman gave him a smile and he murmured his thanks before scanning the article he saw, focusing particularly on the pictures accompanying the article. He felt a pit at the bottom of his stomach as he stalked his way over to where his brothers were waiting for him to get back.

"Hey, Nick. It took you long enough. Where's your hotdog?" Joe asked him innocently, as he saw his brother walking up to them, slightly upset.

"How could you, Joe? After everything I told you last night, you didn't think to share this information with me?"

"What are talking about?" The other boy asked him, genuinely confused at his brother's actions. Kevin looked on, also puzzled at Nick's sudden change of mood.

"This," the youngest of the three said, roughly pushing the tabloid in front of his brother's face. "I can't believe you would do this. I'm going home." He immediately turned and his bewildered brothers watched him hail a taxi by the exit of the carnival before turning their attention to the publication.

'JOE JONAS' NIGHT OUT WITH MILEY CYRUS', the front cover read in bold letters, along with it a couple of snapshots of Joe grabbing Miley's hand and both of them ducking out of the ice cream shop. "Oh dear," Kevin muttered.

"Yeah, this is bad." Joe looked over at the spot where Nick was, trying to figure out what to do next.

: A Couple of Days Later :

It had been a while since that scene in the park, and Nick was yet to say a word to Joe. The older of the two, despite being frustrated at his brother's childish behavior, resisted the urge to tell him so only because his anger seemed to give Nick something to think about other than Miley. The three of them were now in their home studio, wanting to get to work on some tracks for their new album, and the youngest just stared his brothers, holding his guitar in stony silence.

"I thought we were going to rehearse some songs." Nick said in a hostile tone.

Kevin had finally had enough of his brother's attitude, and said, "Look, Nick. I know you're feeling hurt and betrayed and whatever right now, but the way your acting really isn't helping anything."

"You're right, I do feel betrayed. By my own brother who knew what I've been going through, and yet, still chose to do what he did."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Joe finally responded, unable to keep quiet any longer. "It was nothing. She needed a friend, and I wanted to be there for her. You think you're the only one hurting? Well, you're not. She is too, and although I'm your brother, I'm her friend too."

Nick was silenced by this, and it could be seen that he was really taking in what had been said. After a while, he looked down at the guitar he was holding, as if thoroughly ashamed of the way he had been acting around his brothers. However, pride prevented him from apologizing right away, and he chose instead to speak quietly, "Let's just not talk about this right now, okay? We need to rehearse."

For the rest of their studio time, none of the brothers spoke a word other than those having to do with the song, and as much as possible, not to one another. They remained wrapped up in their own thoughts, relieved when they went their own ways a couple of hours later.

: A Week Later, Disney Studios, Hannah Montana Set :

Miley was currently on her break while Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso were shooting a scene without her in it. She was going over some things on her laptop, and anybody could see the grim line her mouth was set on and the furrowed eyebrow that warned everybody not to talk to her just then.

Her stupor had been broken when her father came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, his mouth also set into a thin line, the family resemblance of which would have been funny if it had been in different circumstances.

"Anything you want to tell me, Destiny Hope?" Miley cringed at her father's use of her complete name. Judging by his tone alone, she would say that he had already seen what she had been dreading him to.

"It is what it is, Dad. There's nothing more we can do about it." She stood up, attempting to brush it off, holding out the slim hope that her dad will just let it go.

Billy Ray could proudly say that he knew his daughter well enough to tell when she was clearly pretending to not be bothered by things, and sometimes it scared him how good Miley seemed to be at putting up a strong façade. He only wished he could say the same thing about the pictures he was currently holding. "You promised me there wouldn't be anything like this anymore, Miley."

She was sadder at his disappointed tone of voice, and almost wished he was angry instead. She didn't know how to justify the pictures showing her with some friends, acting in a way that wasn't really befitting a teenage role model. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, when all she wanted to do was have fun and forget. Those people were her friends, and it had been good to feel like she wasn't being judged, if only for a short amount of time.

"Well, at least it's not me with a Jonas brother, right Dad?" Miley got defensive, really just tired of being watched all the time and rated for how she was being the next wild child of Hollywood. She was tired even of her father's words that although had good intentions, only furthered her feelings of insecurity and isolation. She stomped her way to her dressing room, ignoring her father's calls for her to come back and talk to him, finally slamming the door behind her.

She threw herself onto her couch, finally letting her tears flow, both emotionally and physically drained. This was how Billy Ray found her when he softly opened the door minutes later. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She sat up and moved a bit, giving him space to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry for walking out like that, Daddy. I just couldn't take it anymore."

"I understand how you're feeling right now, but you have to remember that when I talk to you, you have to listen, okay? I am still your father, and you have to respect that." He took Miley's bowed head as a sign of admittance, and he spoke in a softer tone. "Now, about those pictures that were published; you know that there are going to be things said about it…"

"It's nothing, Dad. I mean, it's just regular teenagers wanting to have some fun. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You of all people should know that you just aren't any teenager, Miley."

"And what if I said that I just wanted to be normal for a while, Dad?" The man's heart broke a little at the pain he could hear in his daughter's voice. He really wished that he could tell her that it was okay, but he knew it was the price she had to pay for wanting to live her supposed dream.

"Honey, we both know that's just not possible right now." Billy Ray told her gently, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. "I warned you coming into this that they would act like this all the time. You have to be the one responsible enough for what they're going to say about you."

"Sometimes I just get so tired, Daddy." He felt her tears start to seep into his shirt as she burrowed further into his arms. He didn't say anything more after that, simply holding her until her trembling sobs calmed into deep and even breathing as she fell asleep after everything. They could deal with the issues later for all that mattered right now, was that she was okay.

END CHAPTER

**A/N:** I'm sorry this chapter was shorter than usual. I'm used to the updates getting progressively longer, but as I previously mentioned, the reviews were really disheartening and somewhat inversely proportional to the amount of time I was poring into the chapters. Sorry, that sounds geeky and egotistical at the same time. Also, it felt like a good place to leave off, rather than risk the entire instalment being really disjointed because of the next scene that I had planned, and I know that sounds weird, but you'll get it when you read the next one. I apologize also that the drama seems to be really heightened in this chapter, but I felt that it was necessary because of everything that had been going on around them. Please tell me what you think by a review, and I promise I will update as soon as inspiration strikes me in the head with the continuation of the next chapter. I love my faithful reviewers, and I hope this chapter meets your expectations. I'm really looking forward to hearing what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Okay, so I was reading through some things on the Anti-Nilly Community and got really inspired. I would really like to thank the people who read and reviewed the last chapter. The support and encouragement was really overwhelming, so this chapter is for you, most especially** kmart153** and **ttran59.** I'm still really conflicted with the end pairing for this story though, mainly because I'm scared of disappointing anyone, whether it be the Moe or Niley supporters. However, I really am working on it, so stick around, okay?

**DISCLAIMER:** This is a work of FICTION from which I am getting no profit. I don't know or own anything connected with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, their families or the Disney Channel. Seriously, so please don't sue.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER EIGHT

The first thing that caught Nick Jonas' eye as he opened his eyes was the glaring red of his alarm clock informing him that it was well past two o' clock in the morning. It took him a couple of minutes further of squinting before he finally registered the muffled ringing of his phone from underneath his sheets. _'Who could be calling me at this hour?' _He thought almost grumpily, mentally running down that indeed all of his brothers were safely in bed. He took a moment to strain his ears to hear Frankie snoring in the other room.

Despite now being fully awake and being aware of what was happening around him, as the Jonas boy looked at his phone's screen, he was almost convinced that he was still dreaming. The name 'Miley' was blinking at him, the light harsh against his dark room. He fumbled with the device a bit, realizing that he had been looking at it for a while instead of answering it, and quickly pressed the talk button.

"Hello?" He said unsurely, and afterwards waited with bated breath for a response.

"Nick?" At the sound of her voice, all sorts of feelings rushed through Nick: relief that she was speaking to him again, worry at the sound of tears in her voice and a great desire to make it all better.

"Mi, what's wrong?" He heard her breath hitch at the pet name, and instantly regretted it, afraid that she would put down the phone. To his relief and dismay, however, the only thing he heard was her quiet sobbing.

_FLASHBACK_

_Miley was lying down on her bunk on the bus, quietly trying to get herself under control. One minute she was laughing with Nick, Joe and Kevin over the new web videos they had posted, and the next, she found herself crying over the hurtful things people were saying about her. She didn't mean to lose it in front of the three who had been so kind to her, but she couldn't help it, and ignored their calls for her to come back. _

_She had gotten her fair share of the media ridicule starting out in show business, from people accusing her of getting Hannah Montana because of her dad, to insults about her appearance. As far as anybody was concerned she had taken it all in stride, brushing them off saying that everybody was entitled to their own opinions and that she was happy with who she was. It was true that she had gotten used to it in the past couple of months, but it didn't mean that it hurt any less. _

"_Miley?" The young girl turned around to see Nick's concerned face peering at her through the pulled back curtain. "Are you okay? 'Cause you know you shouldn't really pay any attention to what those people are saying because they don't know anything."_

_She gave him a small tearful smile. They had been unofficially dating one another for a couple of weeks now, regardless of the fact that they haven't been able to leave the bus to go out. Even then, he had become one of the people Miley really trusted, along with her family and his. She wordlessly scooted over to the side of her mattress, giving him some room to lie with her. _

"_Can we just not mention it anymore?" She quietly asked as she snuggled into his open arms. They were at that point in their relationship that they were comfortable with such displays of affection. "I really don't like talking about things like that."_

"_Um, okay. Is there anything I can do to make you better?" Nick said, tightening his arms around her and tucking her head under his chin. _

"_Can you just say something about you? Or you could tell me a story or something. Anything would be okay, just not that." Miley seemed so helpless, and he was only too glad to do anything to make her happy again. He had known her long enough to know that when she felt bad, she needed people to take her mind off things instead of obsessing over them. Nick's heart broke a little as he felt some tears drip onto his chest, but choosing not to draw any attention to them, he began to tell her of when he first started to sing. _

_Before long, Miley's breath evened out and he began to feel a little drowsy as well. However, as he began to move out of the comfort of her embrace around his midsection, she momentarily tightened her grip. _

"_Nick?" She said softly, her face still pressed against his shoulder. _

"_Yeah, Mi?" _

"_Thank you… for everything."_

_Nick carefully tilted her chin upwards as to see her blue eyes shining with residual tears. "Anything for you, Miley, you know that." He hesitated before softly adding, "I love you."_

_Her heart pounded at his words, and even if she hadn't been able to hear what he said, Miley could see it reflected in his eyes. "I love you too, Nick." She pressed her face into his chest again and was unable to see the smile that crept onto his face. With a chaste kiss on her forehead, Nick said goodnight and went to sleep in his own bunk, where he would undoubtedly replay the moment they had just had. _

_END FLASHBACK_

Nick was exhausted and his eyes were begging for sleep, but neither his heart nor mind would allow him to say goodnight, much less put down the phone. He spared a glance at the clock and saw that he and Miley had been on the phone for more than an hour. Granted, she was yet to say a word other than his name at the beginning of their conversation, but she didn't need to speak for him to know that she simply needed him to be there for her like before.

He felt as if he had told her every story he had from his, Joe's and Kevin's childhoods, as well as some embarrassing family vacation tales and he was rewarded when her sobs slowly subsided. All he could hear from her end of the phone was her deep breathing, and he allowed himself some minutes of silence to enjoy just listening to it. It was almost as if he was holding her in his arms again, and he could picture her sleeping face so clearly in his mind.

"I love you, Miley," he whispered softly into the phone, sad at the knowledge that the only way he could tell her was while she was sleeping.

His breath hitched as he heard the soft click of the other line going dead, and he was left staring into his phone as the loud dial tone was the only sound that could be heard as everybody else slept.

: The Next Day, Disney Studios, Hannah Montana Set :

It had been a full week since Miley and Joe's encounter at the beach and subsequent outing at the ice cream shop. He had been unable to talk to her since then despite his promise to do so because he was understandably preoccupied with things at home and with Nick.

His parents were really understanding of the entire issue when Joe explained to them that Miley had really needed a friend at that time. Kevin had also backed him up, saying that there was nothing more to it than that and that he had even driven the two of them home. They had all agreed that even releasing a statement a press was unnecessary as they didn't need to justify being a good friend. Needless to say, the second-oldest Jonas was relieved that he didn't need to add a grounding to his growing list of problems, most of them having to do with making Nick see that he didn't do anything wrong.

As far as Joe was concerned, he really didn't do anything wrong. He hadn't even known that Nick and Miley were talking until after the incident and, he decided, even if he had known what was going, it still wouldn't have stopped him from being there for Miley when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

He really hadn't intended to get in the middle of whatever it was that was going on between Nick and Miley, but as he was his younger brother and she was one his closest friends, he supposed it was unavoidable. Now, he found himself standing in front of the dressing room he was now familiar with. Although he was still unsure of what to do, of what to say to her, looking at the tabloid with pictures of her, he knew he had put it off long enough. He rapped on the door gently and waited for somebody to open the door.

The door swung open, revealing none other than Miss Hannah Montana herself, and Joe felt himself grin as her face visibly brightened at the sight of him.

"Joe!" She squealed before dragging him inside. "It's been a while since I've last talked to you. What brings you here?"

The young man scrutinized the person before him, knowing even before she spoke that something was not quite right with her. Joe could tell her smile was forced, mainly for his benefit, and her eyes, slightly bloodshot, didn't hold the same sparkle he was used to seeing in them.

"Stop it, Miley," he said as gently as he could, but with much authority that he surprised even himself with how harsh it sounded in his ears.

If she was surprised at his straightforward manner, she chose not to show it, instead going over her vanity to hurriedly apply some lip gloss with a somewhat unsteady hand. "What do you mean, Joey?"

He sighed deeply, realizing that this was going to be harder than he thought. He should've known to expect that she would pretend that nothing was wrong.

"This. You don't have to act all happy around me. I know you well enough to tell that something is wrong."

"What's wrong with being happy?" She said, clearly defensive underneath her cheery exterior. "I mean, what's not to be happy about? Didn't you hear, Disney just signed me on for another two seasons of Hannah Montana? I get to spend more time with Emily and Mitchel, and you'll be right next door!"

"You're rambling again, Miley," he tiredly responded from where he was seated on her couch. "It's okay to be upset too, you know. You don't have to act fine all the time."

"Seriously, Joe, I'm okay. So if that's what you came here to talk to me about, you can go," she finally said without a smile, turning to face him.

"You seriously expect me to believe that you're okay with everything that's been going on?" Joe asked her exasperatedly. "I saw the pictures, Miles. It's kind of hard not to, as they're everywhere these days. I know it's a lot to deal with, and I want you to know that you can come to me with anything."

"You know what, Joe? I'm okay. Just because I cry to you a lot, it doesn't mean you have to save me all the time," she replied hotly, reacting in a way he didn't expect her to. "I mean, don't you get tired of just listening to me going on about my life all the time? I'm giving you a break from all of that."

"Don't you see, Miley? I want to be here, because you're my friend, and I know you. This, pictures of you in your underwear, being with random boys, it's not you!" He exclaimed, standing up suddenly. "If this is your way of acting out or something, I'm telling you, just talk to me."

"Acting out?" She asked loudly. "Is that what you think I'm doing? Acting out? Some little girl rebelling, is that it?" He was taken aback by her tone, not by her anger, but at her clear sadness and desperation.

"I thought… I mean… this just isn't you, Miley!" Frustrated, he started to run a hand across his hair, unable to do anything else as he paced the length of her room. "You don't even know what seeing this has done to Nick. He's been stuck in his room…"

"Nick?" She said his name incredulously, unbelieving that he would even bring this up now. This was the last straw for Miley, and she cut Joe off before he could even finish his sentence. With the events of last night's conversation with her companion's brother still fresh on her mind, she fired back at him. With a much softer tone, perhaps reflecting just how tired of everything she was already, she said, "This isn't about Nick. This isn't about me acting out."

Joe stood and watched helplessly as she gripped the edge of the table so firmly her knuckles were turning white, almost as if relying on it to keep her upright.

"This is me wanting to find something that's real." It was barely loud enough for him to hear. She closed her eyes tightly, willing herself not to cry anymore than she had already. With a deep breath, she recovered quickly, and gave herself a once over against the mirror.

Joe was stunned at what she had said, and didn't really know how to respond to such an admission. In fact, he had hardly enough time to digest what had been said before he was awakened out of his deep thoughts by her surprisingly calm voice.

"I bet they're looking for me outside. I really have to finish taping this last scene before I can go straight home. I'm kind of grounded." He was surprised at the candor of her voice that still spoke of some bitterness. "I'll see you around, Joe."

Before he could even get a word out to stop her and beg for them to talk about what had just occurred, she had quietly slipped through the door and he was left alone once again.

END CHAPTER

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. You all know I've been having some problems with this fiction, so I do hope this was still satisfactory regardless. Also, this is for **Lovely Heavenly Sarai**, who made me rightfully ashamed of doubting my reviewers. Thank you, seriously. Only a couple more chapters to go before the end; hope you stick with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Thank you very much to the people who reviewed the last chapter. Reading your positive responses really made me happy and greedy for more, so I went to work on this chapter right away. Anyways, this was supposed to be included in the previous, so apologies if it's short, but it's really necessary. After this, it's just the ending left. I really have to finish this before my term starts or you'll all hate me forever, so I hope you stick around. Please read and review.

**DISCLAIMER:** I still have no affiliations with Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or the Disney Channel. This is strictly a work of FICTION regardless of how much I wish it weren't. Poor me, so please don't sue.

**The Other Side **

CHAPTER NINE

: Jonas Residence :

"Hey Miley, it's me, Joe. I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I didn't mean it to sound like it did, and I really want to make it up to you, tomorrow even, so call me when you get this, bye."

Joe Jonas, flipping his phone shut, sighed deeply as he closed his eyes and leaned back against his bed's headboard. After his visit to Miley, he went straight home, and had holed up in his room. He had spent the better part of the past six hours trying to fully understand what had happened, not to mention mentally kicking himself when he realized how it must have come off to Miley that he was judging her for her recent actions.

He didn't really know what he expected to gain from his little trip, but needless to say it wasn't that. He had imagined that she would apologize about it, tell him it was nothing, and just maybe, admit to him that she was still in love with Nick. There was, of course, the subject of his younger brother, and Joe reproached himself for even bringing it up in their conversation. He should've known that Miley was still hurting over the entire thing.

He had no idea what she had been going through lately, even though they had admittedly gotten a lot closer than they had been before. His heart broke at the thought of what she must be going through, if even just hearing about it already frustrated him to no end. In his opinion, Miley didn't deserve the things happening to her lately, and he was sorry that he had inadvertently made it worse. He hated hurting people, much less those whom he considered to be important in his life, such as his family, and in his mind, Miley might as well be.

Knowing what he did, he felt a mixture of different emotions. He was ashamed to admit to himself that she was right, and that he had really thought that it was her way of rebelling. He had seriously underestimated her in that respect. He was also feeling a little bit hurt that she felt that she couldn't come to him after everything that they had been through, guilty for not doing anything about it sooner, but also somewhat disappointed in her, though he really didn't want to be. More than those, however, he was genuinely confused as to what to do next.

Before he could even begin to think of a plan of action, a soft knock could be heard from his closed door. "Yeah, come on in. It's open," he said loudly, not even bothering to get up from his comfortable position, or open his eyes.

"Um, Joe, can I talk to you for a second?" Nick's voice was hesitant and barely audible, but nonetheless, his brother heard him, and the older of the two straightened up and made room for the other boy on his bed.

"Sure, bro. You know you can, anytime," Joe said, promising himself to think more about what he had dubbed to be the 'Miley Situation' in his mind, later.

Nick was unsure of how to begin. "Look, I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately. It's just that I've been really frustrated because of the entire thing with Miley, but you're right. I shouldn't take it out on you or Kevin and Frankie, and I shouldn't let it affect our music. In fact, I don't think I thanked you for listening to me that night. I'm sorry for blowing up at you, Joe, I really am."

He had said it all in one breath and the older of the two almost had a hard time understanding what was being said, but he heard the last sentence quite clearly, and as far as he was concerned, that was the most important thing. Joe slung his arm over his brother's shoulders and good-naturedly ruffled his hair, genuinely happy that things seemed to be okay between them at last. "No problem, Nick. If you don't mind my asking though, what do you plan to do about thing with Miley anyway?"

"That's just it. I'm not really sure." Nick moved to make himself more comfortable and adopted a stance similar to his brother's when he had first entered the room. He was clearly exhausted with the entire thing, and Joe couldn't blame him. "I was hoping you could give me some advice. I mean, I want to show her that it really is different than before. Even if she doesn't want me back, I at least want to have her back as my friend. I've really missed her."

Joe was pensive for a moment. He felt his brotherly instincts coming on, for both Nick and Miley. "Are you sure about this bro? You know I have your back a hundred percent, but Miley's a really great girl, and she doesn't deserve to be hurt again, and neither do you. If you're not into it completely, I want you to just stay away, for both of your sakes."

"What do you think I should do then?"

"That's up to you, man. I mean, I always thought that if you loved somebody, you'd want the entire world to know how lucky you are that they loved you back. Both you and Miley deserve that kind of relationship; deserve a chance to be that happy. So if you don't think that's where you are, maybe you're just better off being friends for now, because I won't let you or Miley get hurt again."

Nick studied his brother's face for a moment. He had never known Joe to be that introspective, but he supposed that he truly had grown up, and as he felt the other's words sink in, more than anything, that made him really proud of his older brother.

Joe observed his brother to be deep in thought at one moment, and after a while, for the first time in quite some time, he watched as the younger boy's face considerably brightened, as if having a great realization. "Um, Nick, you okay there, buddy? You're looking a little crazy."

"I'm better than okay, Joe! Thanks for the talk, but now I have to go and take care of some things," Nick said as he made his way to the bedroom's door. Before he stepped out however, he turned back to face his suddenly confused brother, "Seriously Joe, you're the best brother anyone could ask for."

The second-oldest Jonas boy couldn't keep up with his brother and barely had time to yell at him before the door closed. "You know it! And Nick, her favorite flowers are sunflowers!" He heard hardly audible thanks before the sound of feet clambering down the stairs, and Joe was left to stare at the door his brother had just passed through, somewhat incredulous that Nick had come up with a plan so quickly when he was yet to think of one after pondering the matter the entire day. He mentally wished him luck and figured that a nap was very much in order.

: A Couple of Hours Later, Flower Shop :

"Yes, that's right. I'd like five dozen sunflowers to be delivered to this location tomorrow." Nick scribbled down an address before almost tossing his credit card in his anxiety at the cashier, much to the amusement of the elderly owner of the store. Having signed and made sure that everything was set for his plan the following day. He stepped out and heaved a sigh of relief.

It had struck Nick in that conversation with Joe what he should do next, and he felt incredibly stupid at not having thought of it before. He was blinded by his own selfishness, but now he was going to make it right. There was only one thing left to do to make sure that everything would go accordingly. He dialled a familiar number and held his breath while waiting for someone to answer.

"Hey, you've reached Miley. I can't come to the phone right now, but leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. If this is Mitchel, you're not fooling me with that fake Tennessee accent of yours, so you'd just better hang up now."

Nick smiled as he heard her laughter after that statement, just imagining her co-star's antics. He had to admit to himself that he had missed hearing it, and was so wrapped up in this thought that he had almost missed the beep prompting him to begin his message. "Hey, Miley, I know that you don't want to hear from me right now, but I'm really sorry about what happened. I hope you'll let me explain tomorrow. You are still coming, right? Please come. I need to talk to you. So, that's it, bye. This is Nick, by the way."

After the phone call, he let out a deep breath. It was harder than he thought, and he only wished that tomorrow would arrive as soon as possible so that everything will be okay. At least, he hoped it would be.

: Cyrus Residence :

"Don't think you've won already, Braison. I demand a rematch, just as soon as I change and get your orange juice off of me," Miley yelled behind her back at her brother who was still laughing at her poor game. At her frustration at losing for the fourth time in a row, she suddenly stood up, causing her brother to spill his drink on her in shock. She had gotten used to it in the past couple of days, though. Her dad and Disney management had agreed that maybe it was best to lay low for a while, and she had been taking that time to just simply enjoy being her family and forget everything.

After pulling a fresh shirt over her head and depositing the dirty one in her clothes hamper, she walked over her vanity to check if anyone had left her a message. She didn't keep her phone on her all the time anymore. She really didn't want to deal with all the people asking her if she was okay or if she wanted to release a statement. Nonetheless, she still liked to keep up with her friends and how they were doing.

She listened to a couple left by Emily, telling her that the taping for her movie was doing good and more than just a few by Mitchel, who was trying to make her laugh at his horrible impersonations of country singers. She was genuinely smiling at the end of those messages, but those that followed forced her eyebrows to scrunch up in confusion.

"_Hey Miley, it's me, Joe. I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I didn't mean it to sound like it did, and I really want to make it up to you, tomorrow even, so call me when you get this, bye." _

"_Hey, Miley, I know that you don't want to hear from me right now, but I'm really sorry about what happened. I hope you'll let me explain tomorrow. You are still coming, right? Please come. I need to talk to you. So, that's it, bye. This is Nick, by the way."_

Miley didn't know what to make of it. She was conflicted as to what to do about her situation with those two. Nick tells her that he loves her and then she had to go and scare Joe away with emotional revelations. She couldn't help but think back to a time when everything was so simple, but figured that they were way past that point when she began going out with the younger of the two.

In her heart, she knew that she loved Nick. She had never really met anyone her age that understood what it was like to be her, but he did, because he was living it as well. Instead of being miserable in their shared fate, he took her away from it, and together they found something outside of the world of being famous: friendship. Even though she hurt from everything that happened between them, she couldn't deny that she would do it all over again, because the happiness she found was worth it all. Truthfully, in the past couple of weeks that they had taken steps to rekindle their friendship, Nick didn't give her a reason to doubt him, unlike the first time, and she was sorry that she seemingly ruined all their chances of just forgetting about it and moving on.

Joe was a completely different story. He was right to call her on everything, and if it weren't for him, she knew that she wouldn't have seen that it was destroying her, and not just her career either. His opinion mattered so much to her, and she surmised that that was the reason it hurt so much for him to say all those things to her, even though they were the truth. It was also why she couldn't come to him after that, because she was so ashamed and she didn't want him to feel that he had to keep fixing her messes. She owed him so much. Lately, he had been a definite fixture in her life, and that was a welcome change to the insincerity of the life she led. At that moment, when he knocked on her dressing room door to make sure she was all right, even after seeing everything, Miley knew she loved Joe.

Tomorrow was the Disney Channel Games concert, and she had tried to get out of it in light of the recent events, but the most that they could do was to make her do just the concert. It was her greatest fear to find that she would have no fans left after what she had done, and she was in no hurry to prove that theory right. She also knew that the Jonas Brothers were set to perform, and she knew that there was no chance she could avoid speaking to either of them. Needless to say, she now had even more reason to dread the following night.

Miley forgot all about her promise to return to her game with Braison and deep in thought was where he found her on her bed when he came to look for her after waiting for a while. Seeing his sister in clear distress, and having no idea what to do about it, he did what came naturally to him at that moment, and enveloped her in a hug. Braison felt his sister tremble and take deep calming breaths, and rather than shy away from her touch like usual, he held her and wished for her to be okay.

END CHAPTER

**A/N:** Almost to the end, but don't think you have it figured out just yet. I have a couple of tricks left up my sleeve, and I hope you'll read what's to come. Also, sorry, I really don't know what her favorite flowers are, so I just went with sunflowers because they seem to be so happy, and frankly, because they're my favorites, haha. For now, I'd really love to hear what you think. Please read and review, because they truly make my day. Eenie, Meanie, Niley, Moe. Stick around to know.

**P.S.** I'm sorry for the typos, in this chapter and the rest. I don't proofread them as intensely as usual, in my haste to post. Thanks for understanding.


	10. Chapter 10A: The Niley Ending

**A/N:** Here it is, the final chapter, or should I say chapters, in my much beloved story. As you can see, I have decided to make two endings, not only because I was frightened of people hating me for not choosing their pairing, but also because after a while, every one of your comments made sense to me, whether it be Moe or Niley. Towards the end, I think I really wanted to challenge myself, to see if I could develop both in such a way that you wouldn't question the ending if she ended up with either brother. I think I accomplished that for the most part, but I might be wrong, as indicated by my first flame ever, so I'm really sorry for that. If you have the time, and you find that you can stomach both pairings, let me know what you think. Or even if you choose just one, I'd love to hear your comments.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story. Truly, this is for you.

**DISCLAIMER:** For the last time, I am in no way connected to Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or the Disney Channel- a fact that I still cry about at night. This is purely a work of FICTION made in the interest of pleasing people and letting them see that there always is another side to every story. Please, don't sue.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER TEN: The Niley Ending

: Jonas Residence, A Couple of Hours Before the Concert :

Nick Jonas nervously tied, untied and retied his favorite blue necktie for what seemed to be the millionth time in the past half hour. He could have sworn any moment before this that he could do this simple act in his sleep, the small piece of cloth being his signature item, after all.

He let out a frustrated groan as he ran both of his hands across his face, feeling the pit in his stomach. He had been up most of the previous night going after various scenarios in his head, and somehow, most of them didn't end well, and that frightened him more than he would like to admit. '_Stop it,_' he gently scolded himself. '_Everything's going to be okay. Finally, you and Miley will be okay._' He threw the offending piece of material onto the couch before walking to and crashing on his bed. '_Now if I can only believe that._'

Nick glanced at his watch and knew that in only a matter of minutes, one or both of his brothers would be sent to get him so that they could ride over to the stadium where the concert was going to be held. He was literally a bundle of nerves, thinking about what he was planning on doing that night. His relationship with Miley depended on everything going smoothly.

At first, he had been apprehensive of the idea. Looking at the recent tabloids made him hesitant of his plan, and in truth, he felt all of his past fears come rushing back to pound against his chest. He had spent most days following that locked in his room and debating with himself if he was doing the right thing, but even as he looked at her pictures, aside from that slight pang of anger and disappointment he pointedly pushed aside, he felt an overwhelming surge of desire to protect her and love her.

However, if anything, Joe was the one that convinced him that he was doing the right thing. His older brother had been right when he said that both him and Miley deserved that chance at a great relationship, and he shouldn't let anything else get in the way of that. He didn't even need to listen to Joe tell him what a great girl Miley was, because he knew it, and wanted to kick himself for ever doubting it. Tonight would set things right. He prayed that it would.

Right on time, a couple of minutes since he had stopped trying to fix his clothes, there came a knock on the door. "Nick? Are you ready?" Kevin's voice floated through. Nick stood up and hurriedly knotted the discarded tie, resigning himself that it was as good as it was going to get in his anxious state.

"I'm coming down in a sec, Kevin." The younger boy gave himself a final look in the mirror, ran a hand through his hair and walked across the room to grab his guitar case. '_It's now or never, I guess._'

: Cyrus Residence, A Couple of Hours Before the Concert :

Miley looked at herself in the mirror and adjusted the white top she was going to be performing in. She tugged on it uncomfortably, but knew, deep down, that it wasn't just the outfit she was uneasy with. After spending most of last night crying on Braison's shoulder, she now felt more apprehensive of what was to come that evening. Her encounter with each of the younger Jonas Brothers had been bad enough on their own, but hearing the messages that both Nick and Joe left for her about that night made her feel all the more nervous.

The fifteen-year old honestly had no idea of what was to come, and she hated it. Given all the things that had been happening lately, she liked being in control, and here, she was anything but. It was true that she trusted all the brothers with her life, but she wasn't as sure of herself and her actions. She prided herself in having been able to keep them away for this long, but she knew that she couldn't avoid them any longer.

Just this morning, she had promised herself to end it. The Jonas family was close to her, and it killed her to be so distant from them, and truthfully, she missed them all, but most especially her best friends. She owed them to at least explain what had been going on with her lately, and trust that they would still be with her. She was scared of the off-chance that they wouldn't be, but that would be underestimating everything they had been through in the past, and she didn't want that.

"Bud? We're leaving in a couple of minutes, so you best get all your stuff ready." Billy Ray popped his head in through her door, but was quickly gone after speaking. Miley thought she heard him call out vaguely to her younger siblings to get ready as well. '_This is it, Miley. You can do this. Everything will be all right after this. It has to be._'

: Disney Channel Games Concert, Backstage :

Miley had finished most of her preparations at home and had time to kill before she had to perform in an hour. She had, hopefully, subtly asked some of the crew members about the Jonas Brothers, and she was quietly making her way into the area where she was told they'd be. As she sneaked behind the speakers, trying to get a good view of their dressing room doors, she was sure anybody who happened to pass by would think she was a psycho. At this time, inhaling some of the dust from the audio equipment, she couldn't exactly prove them wrong.

She had been hoping to talk to either Joe or Nick before the show, but seeing only Kevin by the snack tables, she was quickly losing her nerve, and decided that maybe it would be best if they came to her instead. She quickly turned and hoped to quietly retreat into her own room, but before she could exit without anybody even knowing she was there, she heard the oldest Jonas call her name.

"Miley! I was hoping to see you tonight." Before she even knew what was going on, the teen superstar was engulfed in a hug by her older brother of sorts.

She only managed to reply with a sheepish smile. "It's good to see you too, Kev."

"So, are you excited to be performing tonight?"

Uncomfortable as she was with the entire situation before her, Miley's eyes lit up at the thought of doing what it was she truly loved. It was something that not even the media or teenage troubles could take away from her. "Definitely! It's always different with every performance you know, and that really makes me excited, and maybe just a little bit nervous."

"You'll do great, Miles. I'm sure of it." Kevin told her honestly. "Just as long as you sing it from the heart, then you have everything to be proud of."

Miley took some time to let the older boy's words sink in. If only he knew how much it meant for him to say that, not only because of her performance. "Thanks, Kevin."

"Anytime, Miley. You know that Nick and Joe and I are always behind you all the way." He gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

She beamed at him at that, and Kevin saw the honesty in her smile. "Hey, speaking of which, do you know where either of your brothers are?" Talking to Kevin enabled her to muster her faltering courage to face Joe and Nick. He was right. Sometimes, all you really needed was to speak from the heart.

"Hmm… last I knew, Nick was doing some stretches on the rehearsal stage, but Joe should still be fixing his clothes in his dressing room." The eighteen-year old said after some thought.

Miley rushed herself towards the marked door, but not without a quick peck on Kevin's cheek and sincere thanks. Faster than she expected, she was standing in front of Joe Jonas who had immediately answered the door after one knock.

"Miley?" For the second time that day, the young girl was caught unawares as a Jonas boy wrapped his arms around her.

She managed a laugh before saying "It's good to see you too, Joey."

"Look, Miley, I'm really sorry for the things I said when we last saw each other. I was thinking a lot about what you said, and you're right. I didn't realize I was judging you, and that was definitely the last thing on my mind on doing. I want you to know that I think I understand it a little better now, and I really hope you forgive me for everything."

Miley had a hard time keeping up with everything Joe was saying, but looking at his earnest face, fearing that he was about to drop to his knees at any moment to beg absolution, as that was something she couldn't put behind Joe, she had no doubt that he meant every word. "Joe, stop. I came here to apologize. I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. You were being a good friend, and I want to thank you for that."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You were saying what you felt, and I respect that." He slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her away from the hustle of people getting ready.

"But- you didn't deserve it-!"

Her sentence was interrupted with Joe clamping his hand over her mouth, smiling widely. "You know, if we don't stop now, we'll just keep apologizing to each other and we'll never get anywhere. Let's just agree that we're both wrong and forget about it, okay?"

Miley's eyes sparkled and when he finally removed his hand from her mouth, she giggled before agreeing. "You're right. It's stupid to argue like this, and I have to tell you, I really hated it."

"I hated arguing with you too, Miles. I mean, I love you. You're my sister, and nothing's ever going to change that."

She wrapped her long arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck for a while before replying. "I love you too, Joey. You and Kevin are the best brothers any girl could wish for." She chuckled lightly. "Just don't tell Braison I said that."

Joe had to laugh with her on this. "Your secret's safe with me, sis." They stayed in that position for a couple more moments before the eighteen-year old boy broke their comfortable silence. "Now, how about we go find Nicky-boy and see about making this sister thing official, eh?"

Miley quickly released her hold on Joe and revealed an incredulous face before repeatedly slapping the boy's arm. "I can't believe you just said that!"

He swerved his body away from her, running away from her attacks and hiding behind the couch. "Hey! It was just a suggestion!" When Miley had ceased chasing after him and decided to sit on the plush sofa, he thought it was safe to come out of hiding and sit beside her. She had grown unusually quiet again. "You okay? You know I was only kidding, right?"

"It's not that Joe. You're right. I have to go and talk to Nick now, but I have no idea what I'm going to say to him."

He peered through the hair that had fallen across her face into her deep blue eyes. "Hey. Don't worry about it. You and Nick will work it out, I'm sure of it. You both mean too much to each other to just let it go. Even if you don't get back together or whatever, at least you can still be friends." Lightening up the moment considerably, he added as an afterthought, "'cause you know, I'd beat him up for you if he does anything stupid."

The brunette girl laughed and stood up, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "You're right, Joe. You know what? I'm not used to saying that often." She smiled at his indignation before continuing. "Anything's better than not being able to talk to you best friend. I really do miss him."

"And he misses you too, Miley. A lot. Trust me, I know." He rolled his eyes slightly at the last statement.

"I think I'll try to go find him. Thanks for everything, Joe." She gave him one last hug before making her way to the door. "Good luck on your performance tonight."

"You too, Miles. You'll do great. I'll talk to you later," he said to her retreating form as the door closed behind her. Feeling satisfied with himself, he looked himself over at the mirror, making sure that everything was in place, before heading out for sound check.

: Disney Stage, Minutes Before JB Performance :

Nick grabbed his signature red guitar and started to tune everything else out. He had been doing some stretches to warm up for the show, but had needed to get some fresh air towards the end. Now, hearing all the screaming fans, behind the curtain, he was a bit taken aback and a little nervous. Many would think that he'd be used to it by now, but he still got jitters before coming on every time.

"Nick!" The curly haired boy felt a slap on his back and looked up to see the smiling face of Joe. He gave a thumbs up in return, fixing the earpiece he had been given. "Listen, were you able to talk to-"

The younger boy strained to hear what his brother was saying, but Joe was quickly led to the center by the stage hands, and all of them took it as a cue to get started. Tonight, they would be playing some songs from their second album, and maybe, just a little something extra. His hands felt clammy from sweat and they seemed to slide across the handle of his guitar, but he had no time to remedy this as their band began to play the starting strains of their song and they had to go out. Nick pumped himself up and bounded right out with Kevin and Joe.

All three of them were so hyped by the reactions of the audience that they had hardly noticed that they had quickly reached the end of their program. However, before Joe could say goodnight and thank the audience, Nick came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Joe, wait," the younger of the two said into his microphone. He was met by puzzled looks not only from the audience but from his band and brothers. There was no turning back now, and right then, in his post-performance high, he decided that there was nothing more to lose. "I'd actually like to sing something right now, if that's okay with you guys?" Getting an affirmative yell from the audience and a knowing smile from the other people onstage with him, he once again sat down in front of his piano. "It's called 'Sorry' and it's for somebody special. They know who they are."

: Disney Concert, Backstage, JB Performance :

"It's called 'Sorry' and it's for somebody special. They know who they are."

Miley had to inhale sharply at hearing this. She had been unable to track down Nick before she had to go on, and onstage, she did everything to push him from her mind. She thanked her fans for all their support lately, but what she wanted most to say had to be done in front of the boy she wanted so desperately to see. So, after getting something to drink, she had rushed immediately to the wings to watch them perform right after her.

She had always loved seeing them perform. All three of them really gave their all into it, but if she was being honest with herself, she really only had eyes for Nick. She loved that face he made when he was concentrating on playing his instruments, but also loved it when he genuinely smiled at a fan when he grabbed their hand. She sometimes even held her breath when he would do one of his flips, and would let out a sigh of relief when she heard him singing again.

Now, she was unable to breathe for a completely different reason. She wasn't by any means arrogant or selfish of Nick's affections, but the moment those words left his lips, her gut told her it was about her. Her hopes instantly began to rise that maybe, he felt the same way she had and that they would finally be able to move forward from it all.

As she listened to him sing of broken promises and wanting to be enough, she couldn't help the tears as they rapidly came to her eyes. She didn't even try to brush them away or pay any mind to the stagehands giving her weird looks. One look she couldn't ignore however, made her almost lose balance, as Nick looked to his side and stared directly into her eyes. What must've been a couple of seconds before he turned his head back to the crowd felt close to an eternity. She didn't know what to do about it, so she did the next logical thing that came to her, and ran as far as possible.

: Onstage, with the Jonas Brothers :

The song was ending, and Nick threw a hopeful look to where he had seen Miley standing earlier. He hadn't expected her to be waiting in the wings when he looked but was thankful when their eyes met, for there he tried to convey everything he wanted to say to her, and not just by song. Hard as it was to break from her intense gaze, he knew he had to, and simply prayed that she would still be there when he looked again. He was disappointed when she wasn't, and only murmured a hurried thanks to the crowd before rushing off to find her.

Backstage, he was met by an onslaught of reporters wanting to know who the song was for, and he couldn't say that he didn't expect it. He would tell them, eventually; that was part of the plan, but right now, the more pressing thing was to go and find Miley. He shot Kevin and Joe behind him a panicked look and they smiled before each giving him a nod. He pushed himself past the throng of media people, barely registering his brother's speaking, more focused on the flash of brown he was sure he saw duck through the side door leading outside.

"Miley, wait!" He took off in a run and almost crashed into her when she suddenly stopped. He grabbed her elbow to make her face him when it appeared that she wasn't going to. He didn't count on the moonlight making the tears in her eyes sparkle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry. I thought you'd want to hear me say sorry, and it was simply the best way I thought of doing it."

"The song was beautiful, Nick." The young girl composed herself to look up at her companion. "Was it really for me?"

"Of course it was, Mi. For whom else do you think I'd write it for?"

"I don't know!" At this point, she had started to pace in front of him. "I don't know what's going on in your head these days."

"Miley, I think I love you." He just blurted out. "It's the kind of love that Joe says you should be able to tell the world, and I think- I know- I want them to know. When I wrote that song for you, I wanted to let everybody know that it was for you, but given everything that had been going on with you and the media, I thought I'd let you decide. Having said that, if you wanted me to, I'd go out right now and tell them what I just told you. Just tell me what you want me to do." Nick's speech was delivered with so much passion and sincerity, that Miley couldn't help but believe everything he was saying. She had always wanted to believe in him, but looking into his eyes as he said this, she trusted him more than ever before.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure. I mean, I hoped—" The rest of Miley's sentence was cut off with the feel of Nick's lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

Miley was dumbstruck. One moment, she was crying, and the next, she was being kissed. It was over all together too quickly, but as Nick looked at her, a little flushed and surprised himself, neither of them knew what to say. It was both of their first kisses.

"Miley, I'm sorry-" The poor boy had taken her silence to mean displeasure and anger as opposed to bewilderment she was actually feeling.

"Nick!" She had to yell over the other's rambling. "Did you mean it?"

Nick inhaled before answering, "Yes. With all my heart, yes." He didn't know how she would react, and he was unsure of how to deal with what had just happened himself, but what he most definitely did not expect was for her to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. He stared at her for a good two minutes following their separation. After coming to his senses, he took a long hard look at Miley and decided she looked just about as confused as he felt.

"Nick, what does this mean?"

"Anything you want it to. I meant what I said that I'd do anything you want me to. It's not like before, I can promise you that." Nick grabbed her hand, almost begging her to believe it. When Miley gave him a tearful nod and a shy smile, he was able to let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm not sure where we are right now, Nick, but I'd really like a chance to find out where we could be." With their intertwined hands still between them, Miley wrapped her free arm around his neck, just taking everything in. Recalling their last conversation, she took this opportunity to whisper in his ear, "I love you too."

Still completely engrossed by him, she didn't see the wide smile that overtook the Jonas boy's face. The night had gone better than he had hoped, albeit not exactly as he had planned. Nonetheless, as he and Miley returned to the arena where everybody was sure to be looking for them, without ever letting go of each other's hand, he was ecstatic.

As he had predicted, when they got back to the door through which they had exited, there were many frantic people there. Some were the managers trying to get them onstage for the awarding and encore, he distinctly recognized Joe's and Kevin's heads, and he swore he could make out Corbin Bleu's afro. More importantly however, he took note of the many reporters and the countless cameras that were being shoved in front of them as they drew nearer. He felt Miley slacken her grip on his hand and she instinctively retreated, but he laced his fingers with hers and pulled her along with him.

The gesture was not lost on her, and she met his eyes amidst the commotion that was going on around them. "Nick, Miley, are you two going out?" She almost cringed at the familiar question, and dreaded to hear what she thought was coming.

"I hope we are." Nick's confident voice came through, and Miley couldn't hide her surprise and grinned widely at him. In that moment, it didn't matter that more than two dozen people were crowding around her; the only person that mattered to her was the one that was truly making it hard for her to breathe, and not just because of the lack of space. She knew in her heart that this time, they were going to work out. They wouldn't allow otherwise.

Nick was surprised at how easily that reply came to him. He truly saw then how stupid he had been, but none of it mattered now. When he had been rewarded with the bright smile that graced Miley's features, everything was okay, and that was what was important. He smiled at the thought of making that smile even brighter when she saw that he had covered every surface of her dressing room with her favorite flowers, and, excited with the thought of their new beginning, he led her away from it all.

END CHAPTER

END STORY

**A/N:** I'll be the first one to admit that this story took a life of its own not long after it had begun. All in all, I'm happy where it went, and where it has ended. Hopefully, you are too. I'm sorry it took so long to get it out, but life got in the way, but I pray that it was worth your wait. For the last time until the next big inspiration, and the next long break from college, please read and review. I love you all. :D


	11. Chapter 10B: The Moe Ending

**A/N:** Here it is, the final chapter, or should I say chapters, in my much beloved story. As you can see, I have decided to make two endings, not only because I was frightened of people hating me for not choosing their pairing, but also because after a while, every one of your comments made sense to me, whether it be Moe or Niley. Towards the end, I think I really wanted to challenge myself, to see if I could develop both in such a way that you wouldn't question the ending if she ended up with either brother. I think I accomplished that for the most part, but I might be wrong, as indicated by my first flame ever, so I'm really sorry for that. If you have the time, and you find that you can stomach both pairings, let me know what you think. Or even if you choose just one, I'd love to hear your comments.

Thank you to everyone who has stuck by this story. Truly, this is for you.

**DISCLAIMER:** For the last time, I am in no way connected to Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers or the Disney Channel- a fact that I still cry about at night. This is purely a work of FICTION made in the interest of pleasing people and letting them see that there always is another side to every story. Please, don't sue.

**The Other Side**

CHAPTER TEN: The Moe Ending

: Jonas Residence, A Couple of Hours Before the Concert :

Joe Jonas laid back against his bed, seemingly lost in thought. He had been ready for quite some time and was waiting to be called down to ride over to the arena where the concert was going to be held. As close as the actual performance was, his mind was not focused on it as should be, and instead was on the situation at hand with his brother and Miley.

The long nap he had taken after his talk with Nick had done him some good. Mostly, he had been able to separate his feelings on the entire situation and able to look at it with a critical eye, but admittedly, he could never be objective about the matter. The people involved were too close to him to be handled with clinical regard. Deep in his heart, he wanted to do what was best for the both of them, and up until that point, he wasn't sure of how to do that. His mind kept flashing back to the conversation he had with Miley previously, and to the pictures he had referred to, and after much contemplation, he knew what he had to do.

He looked at both Nick and Miley as being both so in love with one another that it was hard for them to be apart. The guys, he reasoned, were Miley's way of replacing Nick, while on the other hand, his younger brother had taken to being silent and broody all the time. It seemed clear to him that the only thing that he could to help both of them was to make them happy: with one another.

Nick had been through many things in his young life, from his diabetes to his Broadway career, but through it all, he had kept an honest and sincere heart, and he deserved somebody that could see that. As for Miley, she was a beautiful girl that people misjudged so often, only because they couldn't see who she was when she was with them. Joe had to smile at his many memories of Miley. He remembered their impromptu visit to the ice cream shop and their playful banter. He, however, frowned at the thought of her working so hard and her tears and fears of staining their reputation. All the more, the images of her crying face in his mind, made him want to make sure that she was okay.

Confident as he was in his plan, he needed to ask somebody else's opinion. Not being able to talk to Nick about the matter as he always did, and Frankie being useless for advice on anything other than the latest toys, he stood up to knock on his oldest brother's door. Kevin, he knew, could always be trusted to give the sanest advice. If he agreed, Joe was sure that he'd be doing the right thing.

"Kevin?" The second oldest Jonas boy said, hesitantly opening the room's door.

"Yes, Joseph?" The twenty-one year old could be seen in front of his mirror, putting the finishing touches on his hair, and once he was satisfied, grabbed the checkered scarf he had picked out to wrap around his neck. Kevin turned around to face his brother, and his face bore an expression of mild shock that Joe was ready to go. It wasn't often that this happened, and he couldn't resist commenting to his brother. "Aw, Joe, you learned to dress yourself."

The younger of the two made as if to mimic the other's actions, but with much sarcasm. "Haha, Kevin. You must think you're really funny."

Almost immediately, Kevin picked up on his brother's serious mood and answered without joking. "What's wrong? Is there any problem?"

Relieved to finally have somebody to confide in, as opposed to always being the one they talk to, as it was lately, Joe gave his brother a brief explanation on what was happening. Needless to say, Kevin was surprised on how disconnected he had been with his brothers lately, but was eager to make up for his lack of support and understanding.

"Joe, you can't just push Miley and Nick together because you think it will solve all of your problems with the both of them." He said, almost as if he was speaking to someone much younger, and indeed, Joe was looking like a petulant five-year old.

"But why not? It's perfect. I mean, they're both so miserable all the time. Think about how happy they were when they were together."

"Come on, bro. Think about it. There must be some reason that they didn't work it out the last time." Joe nodded at this, thinking about Nick's confession to him a while back. He still marvelled at the simplicity of the problem, and the magnitude of its repercussions. If truth be told, he did still blame Nick a little, but he couldn't say that he didn't understand. "If they felt that it wasn't right, who are we to say that it is?"

"But they need each other, Kevin! Miley needs someone who can understand her and look after her, and Nick needs someone that can make him smile and laugh at himself instead of being serious all the time." The second brother was getting exasperated. He wanted his brother to see what he did, even though Kevin's words gave him a nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

"Joe, enough. We promised when they started this that we wouldn't interfere, and it still holds. If they're for each other, leave it to them to find that out. Until then, look at this way. Nick always has us to make him laugh at stupid things, and as for Miley, she has you. You showed me how much you take care of her, and maybe, that's all we can do for them right now, okay?" Kevin said his last statement with a tone of finality that Joe didn't even think of replying. "Now, go and get all your things. I'll make sure that Nick and Frankie are ready too." He exited the room, leaving his brother with his own thoughts.

Joe couldn't deny the sense behind Kevin's words. As he heard the faint sounds of what could be assumed to be Nick and Kevin chasing after a laughing Frankie, he knew that his curly-haired brother would always have his family to stay behind him and make him happy. He also didn't need telling twice to take care of Miley. Since meeting the young girl, he had fallen into the routine of looking after her, in rehearsals and stuff, making sure she was eating and of course, making her laugh when she started to get homesick.

Joe was jolted out of his thoughts when all three of his brothers suddenly ended up in the room he was in. "Frankie, come back here! You need to put on your pants!" He laughed at the sight of his little brother being chased and soon got involved in it as well when all three piled on top of him. Sooner than expected, it was time for all of them to go, and the entire family, fully clothed, got into their car and drove to the venue. There, Joe decided, was where he could fix things once and for all.

: Disney Concert, Miley's Dressing Room :

Miley sat nervously in front of her vanity mirror. She took the cover-up applicator and dabbed some light colored cream under her eyes to hide the dark bags. She had barely gotten any sleep the previous night, choosing instead to go over the things that could happen that night. She couldn't deny that the calls from the Jonas boys threw her for a loop and she really didn't know what to expect that night.

Apart from the various scenarios that had played out in her head, she also spent a great deal of the night trying to understand her heart. She loved both Joe and Nick dearly, and that was the problem. If she hadn't cared as much for either of them, she wouldn't think twice about choosing one and leaving the other, but of course, these were very foolish thoughts for her, because she wasn't sure if even one felt as she did. More importantly, if the one she now knew she loved felt what she did.

The fifteen-year old was brought out of her reverie by a sudden knock on the door. Thinking it was another of the show's manager, she didn't hesitate before saying aloud "It's open, come in."

She was therefore surprised when none other than the curly haired head of Nick Jonas popped in. "Miley? Is it okay if I come in?"

She quickly stood up, more nervous than she would have wanted to be for the conversation she was about to have. "Of course you can! Come in!" Her words tripped over one another in her haste to welcome him before he had the chance to back out of talking.

They stayed for a couple of minutes in awkward silence, both unsure of how to start, really. They shifted uncomfortably in their seats on the couch.

"Miley…" "Nick…" Both of them began to speak almost simultaneously. They gave each other a grin, before Miley nodded at Nick to allow him to go first.

"Mi, you know that I'll always care about you right?" He began nervously, his palms sweaty against his knees. She inhaled sharply, dreading what was to come. "You were my first love, and you'll always be special to me, but I really do think we'd be better of as friends." The brunette girl let out the breath she was holding, almost laughing out loud in relief.

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that, Nick. I have to tell you that you're my best friend, and I missed having you around."

He took her hand in what both now understood to be a gesture of close friendship. "I'm sorry for everything, Miley. You were right to end things in the first place. You were even right to doubt me when I asked for your forgiveness."

"No, Nick-"

"Wait, just let me finish. If I don't, I'll never be able to tell you how much you deserve so much better than I was willing to give. It seems almost wrong to ask for a third chance from you, but I'm hoping you'll give me one anyway."

Miley smiled at his thoughtfulness and earnest pleading. "You don't even have to ask. But I'd also like to apologize to you. I know you said I was right to doubt you, but it's wrong to doubt friends at all, and I want you to know that I trust you. From now on, I really do think we'll be better friends if we're honest with each other."

"I agree, Mi." Even though they were truly putting an end to their relationship, they were simply beginning a newer, stronger bond, and to him, she would always be 'Mi'. Both of them stood up and wordlessly wrapped their arms around each other. They didn't need to tell the other person anything else about how much this meant to them because they both felt it, and were both glad that they could put it behind them. They knew that whatever happened, they would always be there for each other.

: Disney Concert, Jonas Dressing Room :

Joe couldn't sit still. They still had half an hour before they had to perform, and he didn't like to be left alone with his thoughts. He wasn't sure about the uneasy pit that came to settle itself in his stomach, especially when he thought about Miley and how he still hadn't fixed things with her.

Giving in to the urge to go and find her, instead of wondering about what she was doing wherever she was, he quickly exited the room, much to Kevin's chagrin as he insisted on keeping the band together before they had to go on. He asked some of the handlers running around like chickens which dressing room was hers, and was pointed to a non-descript door on the far side from his. As he approached, he saw that the doorknob had a blue scrunchie wrapped around it, and he smiled at this. It was something that Miley would do.

Deciding he would much rather surprise her than knock, he, in his opinion, sneakily opened the door a crack and was about to crawl in quietly, when what he saw almost made him slam the door wide open. Nick and Miley were wrapped in what seemed to be a tender embrace and that pit in his stomach returned full force.

Almost as if in a daze, he silently closed the door and turned around. Not ready to talk about what he witnessed just yet, he went out through the side door to get some fresh air. He couldn't explain to himself why he was feeling this way. '_I should be glad, right? This is what I wanted, after all._' He took deep steadying breaths as he paced the short length of that back alley. '_It is. I'm happy for Nick and Miley. Now everything can go back to normal._' He had hardly noticed the rest of the time pass by and he was soon being pushed forcibly onstage.

"Hey Joe, are you okay?" Nick asked his brother upon seeing his blank face. "You look a little out of it."

"Huh?" The older of the two just stared at him for a while before he was able to respond. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Let's go and do this."

"Okay, if you say so. But can you and I talk after this?"

"Sure. Whatever." Nick just looked worriedly at his brother who was acting more weird than usual, and that's saying a lot. He only hoped that he would get better for the rest of the night.

: After the Concert, Rooftop of the Arena :

The entire concert had gone without a hitch, but Miley was unsure if what Nick had planned would do so too. After they had hugged, Nick had asked her to meet him at the entrance of the stairway leading upstairs, and as she was eager to spend time with him to start repairing their relationship, she had agreed. Right after they had performed, he bounded up to her, waving his necktie and grinning so wildly that Miley wanted to back out of their agreement right there. However, she was serious about trusting him, and he had brought out the puppy dog eyes that no one could possibly resist, so here she was, on the roof, blindfolded, and holding on to Nick's guiding hand for dear life.

"Wait right here, Miles. I have a surprise for you."

"Nick, don't leave me… here." The boy was gone before she could finish her sentence, and she was left just standing there. She was too afraid to move, not really knowing where she was, and itching to take the tie off from her eyes. However, she loved surprises and gave Nick the benefit of the doubt. She could only hope that he'd hurry up.

: After the Concert, Jonas Dressing Room :

Joe was now eager to go home. He was in a really foul mood that he was happy he didn't have to cover up with energy and playfulness like onstage a couple of moments before. He really wasn't up for anything, and he definitely wasn't in the mood to talk to Nick right now.

Almost as if to spite him, Nick appeared right in front of him with a huge grin on his face and Joe had to hold back an irritated growl at his brother. It wasn't his fault that Joe was feeling really lousy, and he really didn't want to do anything that he'd have to apologize later.

"Hey, Joe, can you come up to the roof with me for just a sec?"

With a pained smile, he responded, "Can't that wait 'til later, Buddy? I'm really tired, and I just want to get some sleep."

"Please, Joe? There's something really important that I have to show you up there."

"Fine," he said, allowing his younger brother to pull him along. "Lead the way. This had better be important, Nicholas."

He was taken by surprise by the sight that greeted him when he was able to see the deck. Miley was standing blindfolded in the middle of sea of sunflowers and candles. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He knew that Nick was going to profess his love to Miley, and despite his earlier assertions of support, he really didn't want to have to witness it firsthand.

He smiled weakly at his brother. "Good job, little bro," he said quietly as not to let Miley hear him. "I hope things go well when you tell her you love her. I don't see why you need me here, though."

Nick was smiling at him in that way he was honestly beginning to hate. "I'm not going to tell her I love her, Joe. You are."

The older brother was seriously confused. "You want me to tell Miley that you love her?" He whispered loudly. "Are you crazy? You should tell her!"

"No, Joe." Nick quietly laughed. "You're going to tell Miley how you've been in love with her all this time."

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm not in love with Miley. You are!"

"I thought I was, but I'm not. At least, not in the way you are."

"Nick, are you okay?" Joe waved his hands in front of his younger brother's face, ascertaining if there was anything wrong with him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Think about it Joe! When I asked you yesterday about her, you should have seen your face. You just lit up when you told me what a great girl she was. You even threatened me, your own brother, when you thought there was a slight possibility that I would hurt her. You even told me that sunflowers are her favorite flower!"

"That one's easy. Everybody knows that."

"That's just it. Nobody else knows it but you. In all the magazines she said she loved roses. Even I thought she loved white roses, but you knew."

"I could be wrong!" Joe said, still vehemently in denial.

"No, you're not. You know it, I know it. It's because you know her better than anyone else. You've been there for her through everything. Back then, you were always the one thinking of schemes to help her and make her happy, and now, this is your chance to tell her just why that is."

Realization hit Joe like a ton of bricks. He had been so wrapped up in pushing Miley towards Nick that he hadn't realized that he had found himself inexplicably pulled towards her. It explained why, when she had called him crying, his heart leapt to his throat, and why, when he saw Nick with her earlier, his heart plummeted down to his stomach.

"Wait! If you don't love her, then why were you hugging each other earlier?"

"You saw that?" Nick looked at him, surprised.

"Yeah, and now you can't deny that you love her too!"

"Aha! You finally admit that you do love her!"

"Maybe I do. But that's not the issue right now."

Despite their playful tone, Nick could tell that Joe was seriously bothered by the thought and decided to set his mind at ease. "Joe, Miley will always be special to me, but now, I love her more like my best friend. And more than anything, I want to see both my brother and my best friend be happy. So now, go to her."

With a powerful push from Nick, Joe lost his balance and almost fell right at Miley's feet. With the noise of the scuffle, Miley immediately reached out her hands and started trying to grasp at the air around her.

"Nick, is that you? Can you please take the blindfold off? My eyes are starting to hurt."

Joe straightened himself nervously. He was only vaguely aware of Nick making his way out the door. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't believe how fast things were moving. It was less than an hour ago that he was sure that Nick and Miley belonged together, and right now, all he kept seeing in his mind were flashes of him and her together. He felt stupid at not being able to notice it before. Then again, maybe, it wasn't right before, as right as it felt now anyways.

He reached behind her hair and gently undid the knot that Nick made of the tie and watched her as she blinked her eyes slowly to allow everything to come into focus.

Once Nick left, Miley felt as if she had been waiting for hours. She had heard whispers coming from the side, but she couldn't be sure, so she chose to ignore them. However, when she heard a scuffle and felt a stirring right beside her, she waved her hands wildly in the air before her, hoping to be able to hold on to something.

She asked Nick to take the blindfold off soon after, and she assumed that he heard her as it wasn't long before she felt gentle hands reaching behind her head to loosen the knot. Trying to adjust her eyes to being able to see again, she blinked slowly and was shocked to see Joe's face smiling shyly at her.

"Joe?" She grew more startled by the sight that lay behind Joe. They were surrounded by sunflowers and candles. It was beautiful. "What are you doing here? More importantly, what are we doing here?"

"To be honest, I wasn't so sure myself either, but I think I've got a pretty good idea now." Joe shakily took her hands in his. "Miley, I have something I need to tell you."

Miley's breath hitched. She found that she'd been doing that a lot, but if she could pick any moment to be breathless, right now, with the guy she loved, seemed a good time to be.

"Miles, the past few weeks I've spent with you have been extraordinary. Each day that I spent getting to know you seemed to be one of the best days of my life, now that I think about it." Joe hadn't really counted on having to tell her everything, much less having actual feelings for her, but he spoke what he felt in his heart. "I know you think that I keep fixing your messes or trying to fix you, but there's nothing there for me to fix, because to me, you are perfect."

Miley felt the tears start to come to her eyes and wanted to say something in return, but Joe took a deep breath indicating that he wasn't done speaking yet.

"But I always want to be the one you come to when you feel broken; the one who'll protect you from everything, because I can't stand to see you cry and because I think my heart just about stops every time I see your smile."

"Joe, what are you saying?" Miley said hopefully, with tears in her eyes.

"Miley, I'm saying that I'm in love with you. I was an idiot for not realizing it before, but now I'd like to make it up to you."

"God, this feels like a dream." At this point, she was standing so close to him, that she felt his breath on her cheek. "There's nothing to make up for, Joey. I was an idiot too. It's been staring me right in the face, but I couldn't accept it, and now I think if I blink, it'll all just disappear."

"It won't. Trust me. This is real." He gently put a hand on the back of her neck and pulled her face towards his where his lips met hers in a soft but demanding kiss. When they broke apart and touched their foreheads together, just getting lost in each other's eyes, he whispered to her. "I'm real, Miley. We're real."

END CHAPTER

END STORY

**A/N:** I'll be the first one to admit that this story took a life of its own not long after it had begun. All in all, I'm happy where it went, and where it has ended. Hopefully, you are too. I'm sorry it took so long to get it out, but life got in the way, but I pray that it was worth your wait. For the last time until the next big inspiration, and the next long break from college, please read and review. I love you all. :D


End file.
